The Burning Contract
by Geinkotsu
Summary: The story of two OC's. A mysterious demon has set his claws deep within a human's soul, deeper than a certain reaper may find he had guessed, and these two immortal men are destined to be bound together so long as they both shall live. But just how long will they live with eachother's infuriating ways and unexplainable actions?
1. Chapter 1

**_A rather untraditional collaborated story by my friend, endlesslotuslight, and I. Credit for original characters go to both of us, as well as this strange storyline. Enjoy._**

* * *

The day was just as dull as usual, if not more irritating. Cain quickly made his way across the long hallway as his strangely colored purple hair rested upon his back. The long glass windows shone in bright light from the back garden that was filled with chattering birds and other natural wildlife that liked to make it's home there. As long as they were not disruptive to his mistress, he did not care if they were there or not. The soft tap of his black polished shoes ticked away at the stone floors. Although the estate was not that large, it was still quite beautiful, and Cain made sure every single spot was in order and clean. Which could sometimes be quite the challenge for a day's work with only him to do all of it.

He came to the kitchen, gathering a silver platter, his elegant, expressionless, white mask staring back at him from the silver reflection. Cain pulled off his gloves and creased his cuffs back as he prepared the usual. Cucumber sandwiches and lemon tea. He was sure to cut the crust off perfectly and cool the tea a little to the temperature his mistress preferred. Absolute perfection and nothing less… He placed the tea and sandwiches on the tray as well as extras such as cubed sugar and honey.

He picked the tray up and made his way back through the house, walking up the stairs and coming to the room. His mistress sat on her chair, her hair bright gold and her eyes of deep blue, her expression dire.

"Tilly, if you spent as much time as you do on a spot of tea, then I should expect you to clean my dining hall properly next time." she barked and sat up. Cain said nothing, setting the tray down and pouring her tea. "We have a guest coming in an hour, prepare the sitting room with care this time, we also have an appointment to keep with the cathedral, they are expecting us half past five this evening for the memorial. Lay out my good veil and draw me a bath in time due for our visit." she spoke, as if the orders would never stop spilling from those glossy pink lips.

"And scratch out tonight's dinner, I would much rather like to have a nice truffle soup and a very sweet dessert, mmm perhaps blueberry sorbet." She continued, taking her tea in hand and sipping it. Her eyes flickering up to the man that stood idle. "Well? Are you just going to stand there?" she used a hand to shoo him. "Go go, do not expect the work to do itself." she said.

"Yes, Mistress." he replied, his smooth voice spilling from the cold white lips of his mask and he bowed low. Then quickly left the room to make the changes to his schedule.

**_.:Meanwhile, currently in the reaper realm:._**

Julius lay in the middle of the reaper's library, holding a book up 90 degrees from his body, staring at it. The reaper's library contained every living and deceased person's life from beginning to end. It was the reaper's duty to read, and memorize each one they were assigned to. Julius sighed heavily. Such a tiring job this was to have to execute so many humans. You'd think he'd lose count, but that would be disgraceful of a deathgod. He hated this routine of nothing but reading and taking away lives. Deathgods didn't sleep, nor eat. They took on a human form only to blend in better when needing to carry out their assigned targets.

"Linda Lundgren" he whispered with a calm, soft voice. "Two hours to go" he looked at his watch as if needing to.

Linda Lundgren was to die sitting in her chair, as if she fell asleep. Silently, and without a single drop of blood. Julius had been getting quite a few of those boring assignments. He needed to speak to William about this non-sense.

And speak of the devil.

Julius swiftly rose to his feet and grabbed the base of the sharp point that was aimed for his face.

"You've gotten quicker" William contracted back his extendable reaper's weapon, and used it to pull up his glasses. "Why are you still here? You should be watching over your assignment" William questioned calmly.

Julius silently held up the book he was reading to show him he was actually working.

"Physically" William pulled up his glasses again, using his weapon.

Julius sighed, "Grell gets to have all the fun…" he shuffled passed William, towards the door.

It had been a few days since his last assignment, and he was glad he got to wear his casual clothes again to blend in with society. It was fun posing as a human. Maybe because he wished he was one. They had so much to do all the time, they'd never feel bored. Even the act of just sitting down and eating seemed like a job. Sleeping looked like such a peaceful thing to do as well. Unlike his routine filled life, human life was somehow full of excitement. He sighed to himself, questioning his own sanity. He finally spotted the giant mansion his assignment lived in. Julius looked down at his book and read the last part in it again. There was only one thing that seemed out of order. The fact that her soul was taken by a demon. This demon must be as bored as Julius was to go so far as creating a contract with a human and taking ridiculous orders from her in order to devour her soul. How strange. What was even stranger was how this demon was always prepared to clean and protect such an enormous place, all by himself.

Julius stepped through the oversized open window of the young lady's office and gracefully swung his scythe around and through the young seated girl, and her chair. Record tapes of her life shot out of her chest and begun playing in front of him. Julius took a seat in front of her dead body, and watched the tapes, when she was born, 'till she shooed away her butler. Julius frowned at the masked man. He may never know what he looked like, and that bothered him for some reason. His curiosity was an annoyance beyond imagination. Reapers didn't have records of demons, so he knew of no reason why this demon would do such unnecessary things.

Julius stood up with a grunt and walked towards the silent child. He touched her face, closing her eyes and hid her book in a bag he carried around everywhere then sat on the desk in front of her. Julius took out another book and began reading it carelessly. His next assignment.

The demon could feel an unwanted presence entering the perimeter like an irritating and ghostly insect that appeared quite out of nowhere. It was not even a millasecond later that he felt that revolting lurch in his chest and he had to quite literally grasp at the counter, those white gloves digging into the granite surface and tearing ridges into the stone. Just like that, a little bug had gotten in his way and murdered his mistress the one moment his back was turned… He let go of the counter and disappeared from the kitchen.

Like a shadow he stood in the far end of the room, just at the crook of the shadows and those abyssal cuts in his mask that allowed him sight glowed with the fire of demonic scorn. He leapt from the thin glance of shadow and lunged at the man sitting on his late mistress's desk, reading without caution and so uncaringly to the deed he had done. Disgraceful.

Julius had been reading peacefully until he felt the presence of the demon moving his way. He instinctively flinched away in time before he could be attacked by the angered demon. He put his book into his bag and stared at the taller, masked man, his curiosity rising with every step back he took. He knew that was the only reason he had stayed behind. Otherwise, he would have disappeared the second his job was done.

"I'm here to explain myself demon" Julius lied. He was clearly here to find out more about this demon's intentions, and about the demon himself.

The demon had missed and went over the desk, using a hand to push himself off the edge and flip properly in the air, landing on his toes with perfect poise. The soft glint of metal shone between his white gloved fingers as his hair fell properly against his back. He heard the rustling drop of the book in the one's bag and he turned his body lightly, those dark holes of his mask gazing back at this man of calm disposition. He stood with his back perfectly strait, his shoulders aligned and the elegant and thin dagger hanging calmly in-between his nimble fingers, like a metal claw that held every intention to rive the man.

When the other spoke he turned himself fully to the view of the man, standing about face with nothing but the cold coaxing beauty of his mask staring back at him with an almost malicious stare. He did not believe his unruly statement of terms of explanation. He spoke with the utmost care and rather venomous flow.

"What is there to explain, reaper?" He nearly hissed, yet it seemed vexing just how perfect of a tone he kept upon the situation. "You know not what you have done." he spoke, shifting the dagger in his hand and lifting his chin a mere centimeter. Oh, and he did not at all realize what was going to happen. His contract was yet to fall into it's safety clause, oh, but it would be quite apparent when it did happen. The only thing was, what soul was there to eat from a reaper? The only thing he wanted from this one was his death!

He grasped the dagger a little tighter and went for him, leaping onto the desk and lunging at him again with such ferocity that it was clearly inhuman.

Julius stared at the dagger in the long haired man's hand and chuckled to himself. Nothing could kill a grim reaper. It was impossible. He was itching to find out why the demon tried so hard. He could have just moved on and gone to eat another's soul without a contract all together. Did he have some sort of attachment to this one's soul? Julius' laughter continued, ignoring the fact that he was about to be attacked. "You DO know that can't kill me, right?" He asked, avoiding the dagger anyway. Just because he couldn't be killed, didn't mean it didn't hurt when it was attempted. "Besides, what good would it do you to try and kill me anyway?" Julius adroitly ducked out of the man's second attack and reached for his mask. If only he could see what was under that damned thing!

Quite the light-footed bastard indeed, this reaper was, he saw the other's fingers in front of his face as he skidded past, that hand extended for his white porcelain façade and ready to tear it away. He snatched his wrist and his momentum pulled the reaper around his dagger pointed at his throat as they tangled in a dangerous dance. Cain had managed to ram him into the wall and he wedged his leg near his to block him from evading him. His hand still clenched around his wrist as the other's fingers were gingerly brushed against the cool fake face.

A moment of silence before Cain pressed closer, not so very threateningly so, the other's hand pressing further into his mask as his face came closer to that of the reaper's. The strands of purple had come loose from their binds, the ribbon falling from the tresses and the long locks cascaded around him in a veil of graceful silk.

"For soon, I shall not be able to." his voice responded collectively, spilling from those soft white lips that moved not to the grace of his intoned vocals. Daresay, that string of words were to be quite confusing, perplexing even, to the reaper. There was no possibility he would know, not if he would kill his mistress and risk such a consequence.

As quick as he had come at the reaper, he removed himself, releasing the reaper and leaping away, but promptly flung the dagger back his way, purposely missing, only to engrave it's sharp blade in the wall a mere few inches from his head and quickly left the room. At the very least, he would finish the few chores he must before he would leave before the clause took effect and ruined him. Call it a final parting to the soul he had worked so vigorously to devour.

Julius let his guard down for only a second and was punished by the demon in return for his carelessness. The demon was quick as he grabbed hold of his wrist and pushed him to the wall. No matter. Julius wasn't about to show any emotion for such acts. He was trained, and ready to kill at any moment. He was seconds away from summoning his scythe, before he froze in place. Something about the man's closeness threw him off. Something about that soft voice saddened him. Why? Why was this demon trying so hard? It ticked him off.

Julius glared up at the demon, annoyed and embarrassed by such closeness. He wasn't used to it. The only idiot that would get close to him like that without getting killed was Grell. But that was mainly because even reapers couldn't kill one another. So he'd tried a few times. Grell was stronger than he looked anyway. Julius's cheeks were burning red, from the man's body touching his own and the overwhelming curiosity. The tips of his fingers were rubbing against the soft mask's surface taunting him. He had to know. If it was the last thing he was going to do.

The masked demon pushed himself off Julius as he leaped backwards. Yet Julius was disappointed for some reason that the demon had let him go. He didn't react to the sudden dagger appearing next to his head, and when the man turned his back to him, he reached for the dagger and ripped it from the wall. He stared down at its intricate designs and its pointy end. Even his weapons were just as delicate. How strangely beautiful. Julius quickly shoved the dagger into his bag as he ran after the man.

He watched the taller, elegant man as he cleaned each room with care. Making sure not a speck of dust was seen. Julius tried hard to stay out of sight as he stalked the other man. He felt strange doing something like this, but his curiosity was driving him insane. He knew the man could feel his presence, but as long as he wasn't bothered, Julius wasn't about to care either.

Cain moved through the house with an almost careless debonair, a natural stride of elegance as he did simple chores. Dusting over tables, fixing vases of flowers, anything that was off and not perfect to the eye. He could feel the other trying to follow him in silence, dwelling just beyond his line of sight and watching him. What a strange little curious mouse that scurried behind him, following his steps as if entranced to his work. He did a rather quick run through of the house, only truly stopping to meagerly put away the items he had left in the kitchen, storing them away and neatly folding the paper bags before exiting the house.

He walked out the door and along the corridor and onto the soft grace. The garden loomed like a long maze of flowers and trees, with wondrous hidden areas and sitting places. Fountains and streams and glorious peace that was not broken by the sounds of chattering birds. Trees of magnificent stature and reach were littered with blooming red flowers, soft round petals falling free from their hold when shaken free by the perch of a bird or taken hostage by the soft breezes of wind.

Cain picked up a pair of sheers and knelt down, tending to the rose bushes near the stone bench, trimming with the utmost care as his pale mask fixated upon his work. It was all he had left to do, a quick clean of the garden and perhaps a small parting present to the young mistress. Cain clipped a few roses from the bush where they would not be missed, using his thumb to work over the thorns, breaking them off the fleshy green stem. He did not respond to the other's intruding questions as he finished with the rose bush and moved onto a different one. A few butterflies scattered from the rose's sanctuary of petals as he tended to the bush.

Julius followed the masked demon outside as he tended to the gardens. Julius sat in plain sight and watched the demon work, no longer caring whether or not he was seen. "Why are you even doing this?" he asked curiously, his arms crossed, tilting his head to one side. "The child is dead, so why is it necessary to continue cleaning after her? What kind of conditions did this contract have?"

"I intend not to stay." he replied simply. Informing the other he did not intend to stay here and continue to tend to the property like an enslaved and otherwise purposeless lingerer. So this was not necessary, it did not have to be done. In fact, the moment she died he could have left that very moment if he so desired. Why he didn't was quite perplexing… Perhaps he felt obliged to tie up loose ends, or maybe something a little less business associated in feelings.

Julius frowned at the man's unclear answer. He grumbled childishly as he stared at the man walking passed him, ignoring his existence and going back into the mansion. He stood up and followed right behind him, no longer trying to hide. William was going to kill him for this. Or try at least.

Julius took this chance to study him better. His strong broad shoulders. That magnificent yet strange shade of purple colouring his long flowing hair. His hair looked better untied. He watched as the demon's hips swayed from side to side subtly as he walked faster, making Julius blush a little. His clothes looked so perfectly black and unwrinkled that Julius began to imagine him in lighter coloured clothing, which brought out an unknown chuckle. This demon was too grumpy to be taken seriously in light colours. Right there and then, a silly idea popped into his mind.

Julius walked a pace faster than the demon's and stood in front of him, blocking his path. "How about I help you find a new person to make a contract with?" he beamed. The thought of helping this demon was somehow exciting to Julius. He didn't know why, and he didn't know where the hell his brain run off to, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was make this grumpy demon smile. Even if that mask was in the way, he still hoped to make him happy.

He could hear the other's snickers and he could almost feel the stares directed at his back-side. However, that did not last long as the other got in front of him and blocked his path from further the hallway. Odd how cheerful he seemed, and the sudden proposal was that much stranger. He stared at the strange male, as he stood there waiting for some sort of answer. Oh, and he was about to get one.

"You honestly have yet to realize…" he started as he picked a bright red flower from the collection in his arm, breaking the step to a point with his fingers as he closed the distance between them, placing the rose at his heart and pining it there, fingers brushing across his chest over his heart. "You, my careless reaper, are the new contract holder by rights of death." But then… they were both rather immortal, weren't they? Such a misfortunate clause that was now going to bind him for eternity to a reaper with no soul to feast upon.

"My contract has a safety clause, dearest reaper. You have quite snared yourself." or perhaps it was that the reaper snared him, trapped him in a tangle of tight thread that would never lesser it's ties to the new host. "I assure you, you will know it's binds when you feel it…" Cain removed his hand from his chest, fingers lightly stroking over the velvet red petal as he moved to pass the reaper so he may finish his last small task.

Contract… holder? Julius? What? Julius stared at the demon, completely dumbfounded. He was probably lying to him. What use would his soulless body do for this demon? Nothing. At all. Julius watched as the taller man stabbed a rose into his oversized button up shirt, slightly scratching his chest beneath it. What did his words mean, he may never find out. He needed an explanation. Guidance through this confusion. Something! But all he got was a rose as the demon walked away from him.

Julius felt over heated all of a sudden. Anger? No, it was something more. His body became weak and his breath uneven. He fell to his knees gasping for air as something heavy fell to his chest. With a desperate gasp, he clutched his shirt tightly where his heart was located as his vision became blurry. His body became limb and he curled into a ball on the floor, hugging himself in pain. What was this damned feeling? Burning to his chest. The blood in his heart pumped in and out so fast it felt as if it would implode any second. How could this possibly happen to a reaper? It's never been heard off! Julius mindlessly ripped his shirt open and stared at the symbol forming on his chest. A purple cross with a faint bleeding rose behind it. Julius laid there, his back to the floor, staring a hole into the ceiling. What was happening to him? The demon couldn't have been serious about the contract. He slowly reached up pathetically in the demon's direction, which didn't last long. His body became weaker by the second as the pain subsided. He was tired, as he allowed his body to fall.

Hmm, about time he supposed. He heard the reaper fall to his knees, and he paused briefly, back turned to the other as he squirmed in pain. In the face of his pitiful pains, Cain walked away from him, although he could not say he did not deserve some pity. He returned to his late mistress's office, taking a few moments to adorn her lap and cradled arms with magnificent roses, throwing open the windows and bidding a silent farewell to his time wasted. Now… he had a choice. To leave that reaper here and likely pass out from the pain and be found and caught by those who became wary of Linda's disappearance, or to show some semblance of apathy and do as his contract required of him…

The curtains whirled as he left the room promptly. It was this small soft spot that won him over as he returned to the pathetic ball of reaper. He leaned down, grabbing his arm and pulling him up, grabbing him by the waist and hoisting him onto his shoulder. There was little he could do for him now but drag his poor sorry ass somewhere safe and let him recover. A forced contract was not the least bit pleasant, but that was his problem for killing his mistress. But the dire fact remained that this contract was quite the permanent one… Death was the only absolute end to a contract- and what death shall they foresee in any coming year?

Well, that was not the matter at this moment. It could wait… Cain swiftly left the large estate with the reaper upon his shoulder, carrying him quite a way before finding a specific alleyway and leapt up the unused and half broken crates, easily making his way up to the flat roof and finding the trap-door. He kicked it open and dropped down with the reaper. The area smelt faintly of plants, perhaps something more herbal, and the smell of wood was thick. An attic turned into a living space, just high enough to accommodate his height and with enough area for a bed, a few cabinets, a small stove and a few other small things. Although small, it was still quite clean and homely enough- and fitting for a stray without a permanent home.


	2. Chapter 2

Somehow pain had never felt so real; so much that he would lose consciousness. It was never real enough to drop him to his knees as he shivered in agony. He had never even broken a sweat in battle. Reapers were strong, but the only "battling" they ever had to do was during their training in case of emergencies. Julius had to rescue Grell a few times, as ordered by William, but it was never a challenge. And here he was, lying on the floor; his breathing slowing and fading, as his vision and mind followed.

Hours? A day? No it couldn't be. He couldn't have slept for so long. What a strange feeling this "sleep" gives when you finally awake. His body was sore, and his mind empty. His eyelids felt heavy as he forced them open and stared at the ceiling then around the room. He couldn't even recall his location or what had led him to be in such a place. He turned his head slightly and flinched back so suddenly that he hit his head on the wall behind him. Julius sat up slowly, cursing and rubbing the back of his head. The demon was right there in front of him, keeping him in this- what the hell was this place anyway?

"You did something to me…" Julius began to remember slowly. He touched his chest, quickly moving his shirt away to look at the tattoo. "What the hell is this?" He demanded, glaring up at the statued white mask. His fingertips traced the elegant and clear lines of the tattoo. It wasn't any ordinary tattoo, neither in context nor appearance. It was almost faded as if it was slowly rising from underneath his skin.

The masked demon's head lifted a fraction of an inch in response to the other's sudden flinch away from him. He supposed it wasn't the loveliest thing to wake up to, a demon right next to you and practically hovering over you while you slept. He sat in correct posture, as if he had not been sitting there long at all, hands folded in his lap and one long leg graced over the other.

It was not unexpected to have the other shout at him, accusing and demanding. It was rather common, even so if it had become dull in occurrence. He reached over to the table, lightly scooting the cup of water closer to the edge so the reaper could grab it if he wanted. Cain stood up and stepped away from the bedside, his hair flowing over his back in swaying river of purple as he moved.

"Would you care for breakfast, Master Reaper?" he spoke simply, as if this was not the least bit odd. It was very odd, but perhaps not very shocking to the demon.

Julius watched as the man straightened his poster, and pushed the water gently towards him. Reapers didn't need water, but he noticed the man's kindness and wanted to be polite disregarding the situation, so he picked up the cup and put it to his lips. He gulped down the water, watching the man stand up in the process. At the word "master", Julius choked on the water and snorted most of what was in his mouth out his nose. Such pain this liquid caused as it invaded his air ways. Julius placed the glass cup on the table, his other hand occupied as it covered his nose. He coughed until all the water was released from his nasal path. He glared up at the demon with teary eyes. Such a dangerous tasteless liquid for something that's a necessity for survival…

"What did you just call me?" Julius said with a hoarse voice, holding his dripping hands away from his body as if he hadn't already made enough of a mess. He stared down at his wet clothes and grumped. Julius had to get back to the Deathgod realm, otherwise William was going to come after him, and he certainly did not want to be seen with a demon. He flinched at the sudden thought of leaving this demon. He was kind enough to bring him here instead of abandoning him in the mansion for humans to find him and imprison him. Not like that was a problem really, he could get out of any situation like that just fine. But William would definitely punish him for making a scene among humans. And William's punishments were far from merciful. He was supposed to blend in, not get caught up with a demon. But for some reason, Julius didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay with this demon and find out more about him.

Julius rubbed the back of his head with his wet hand absentmindedly, while chewing on his lower lip. He studied the statue-like demon from underneath his lashes, then sighed, defeated. If food was going to keep him from getting kicked out, then so be it. Besides, he's always wondered about the taste. "Food would be nice" He whispered embarrassed, and as the demon left the room, Julius hurriedly followed, tripping over the clingy blanket in the process, but getting up and running after the man as if nothing happened.

Cain smirked under his mask when he heard the other one gag on his water. Okay, so maybe he pulled it up mostly just to get a reaction to amuse him. But after what he had done to him, it was the least he could do at his own expense. Obviously the reaper had no idea on what was going on, which was a little irritating to be honest. But he was glad to get such a splendid response just to a title. He walked over to the 'kitchen' although there was no wall to separate anything, only the pieces of furniture to symbolize what the area was for.

He stood at the cabinet, which was the only thing besides the stove/oven. So it pretty much was the counter, the food storage, and for dishes. Not that he had many of either; in fact, he had left briefly for food that night when he was sure the other would not wake, as he did not have any until now. He grabbed a pair of eggs with one hand and a skillet with the other, briefly glancing at the reaper as he followed him into the kitchen. Cain set the skillet on the stove, cracking the eggs into it and spilling them neatly on the slick surface before tossing them inside a small trash can and retrieving a hand towel. He held it out for the reaper so he could dry himself.

"I realize food is not necessary," he started, obviously noting that his actions were rather out there, "however, I supposed something pleasant would have been in order after last evening's events." he finished. Not that he had to make up for anything, of course not. This was the reaper's fault in all his stupidity and carelessness. But he did sympathize with that pain, he had witnessed a human even die from it, of course, there were only a handful of incidents where his previous master's had been murdered. He traveled a lot was all, so he had the chance to witness the contract's safety clause in action more than once.

He found a pot and set it on the stove, kneeling down and picking up some firewood and stuffing it into the oven before finding a match and throwing it in. It was honestly a very old stove, but it worked quite well enough. He shifted some of the wood as it started to try and burn, making it sit slightly on top of one another to build up proper heat, then closed the front of the oven and gathered some spices. There was no denying he was quite something with food, seemingly carelessly throwing spices and tastes together as he worked with the multiple cooking items with a sort of agile ease.

Julius watched as the demon worked, taking the cloth from him and lazily wiped at his clothes and hands. He nodded acknowledging the demon's words absentmindedly as he was mesmerized by the masked man's elegance. Julius stopped watching the demon's graceful hands and the succulent looking food and began staring, open mouthed at the mask as if he could see through it. And he wanted to. Really bad. He reached for the demon's mask, his hands working faster than his mind.

"Who the hell are you?" Julius whispered, the words coming out slowly as his heart and mind mimicked. It was as if everything was in slow motion. How could a demon do something like this to him? He's never felt like this ever before. The tips of his fingers touched the smooth mask's surface for the second time, but like the first, he failed at his attempt to unmask the taller man.

Cain had been quite preoccupied with the food, making sure everything was done in even amounts. He had not even noticed the other until he heard his voice whisper out to him. His hands slowed over the stove, feeling the other's hands close to his mask, as if allowing him a moment's touch before he reached up and stayed his hand with his own. His touch was not harsh like it had been at the first attempt, in fact, it was rather gentle, as if to say that he could forgive his curiosity, but would rather not have it continue.

He put down the wooden spoon and stepped towards him, his eyes gazing intently at the other, although they couldn't be seen, they surely could be felt.

"Cain Castillo." he responded to his question, "And you are…?" he reflected. Of course, he would need a name to address the man properly, it was only right. His hand still lingering over the reaper's, likely to make sure he didn't make a sudden move to rip off his mask. Maybe.

Julius' eyes widened at the other's soft touch. For a man his hands were like feathers. Such a strange creature. But Julius knew he, himself was even stranger the way he acted towards this demon. Instead of just leaving, and going back to his original life as a reaper, he was allowing his heart to drop from its place for this masked man, blushing and showing him weakness.

"Cain…" Julius whispered the man's name, a sudden urge coming over him. He carelessly hugged the taller man as if introducing himself was a sign of a new friendship. Julius didn't really know what friendship was, and had only seen it in action once or twice while watching over the human world. They seemed to do this often, so Julius wanted to try it out, but unfortunately, they both lost their footing as he fell on top of the demon. He grit his teeth and cursed. He felt foolish, and as he lifted his head off the man's chest to apologize, he froze in place. His mouth was wide open, but no words came out. What was before him was the unmasked beauty that he's been itching to see since the second he laid eyes on this man. All he was thinking about now was whether or not he was drooling.

The hug was a great surprise, and the poor demon was shocked stiff, quite unable to respond or say something. Hell, what was he supposed to say! The man was hugging him out of nowhere! However, the sudden attack of embracing him was rather quickly paired with their balance failing, the taller man having been so caught off guard that he had little time to brace and quickly felt gravity take hold as they hit the floor with Cain crushed on bottom. The momentum and crash to the floor almost quite easily took away the already loosened mask as it landed a ways away from them, hitting the floor with a soft cracking noise. He quite painfully made a nice cushion for the reaper, having hit his head on the floor board and elbowed in the rib. Ow…

He had his eyes closed tightly, his hand going for the back of his skull. Jeez, this one was turning out to be more clumsy by the minute. His eyes fluttered open, those dark purple eyelashes, naturally coloured in such a dazzling dark shade, revealing those strange yet ghastly gorgeous lilac eyes. What Cain saw was a little confusing at first, as he looked up at the other quizzically. Why was he staring at him like he had just seen a ghost or som- Shit!

His hand flew up to his face, covering the right side of his face as he quickly tried to squirm out from underneath the reaper, looking for his mask desperately as a soft color came over his pale cheeks. He found it swiftly tried to grab at it, trying to hide his face as quickly as possible. Although his face was humanesque, his eyes, the scar even, were not natural. In fact, the mask was more natural than what lay beyond that porcelain cover. He could barely reach it, from where he laid underneath the reaper, but managed to get it in hand and went to pull it back over his face to conceal it.

Purple, hollow eyes. Steal jaw. High cheek bones. A straight sharp nose. Beautiful soft looking skin. This man had such beautiful manly features. Why would he hide such a face? Julius glared at the mask in the man's frantic hands. He swiftly grabbed the damned object from the demon's hands, and threw it across the room, too far for either of them to reach while lying like this. Julius harshly pinned the demon down, not allowing him to move, his annoyance showing finally. He didn't understand this man, and it pissed him off how he could actually get him to show emotion around him. Reapers were trained to hide such things, but Julius somehow forgot himself around this damn demon.

Julius searched the demon's desperate eyes, as his own landed on the demon's scar. His stare became kinder suddenly, almost sympathetic as he leaned closer to the demon's face. Julius' lips softly brushed over the pinned man's scar, kissing his eye lid, then down to his cheek bone. Showing such sudden affection towards the frantic demon was probably strange, but what part of any of this wasn't? "This is what you're scared of?" Julius whispered gently into the man's ear, somewhat unsure of his own actions.

He certainly did not like that mask, did he? Cain did not resist the pinning, hearing the mask shatter against the wall and crumble to the ground. But his eyes did not look to the wreckage, those abyssal lightly colored lilac eyes gazing back at the other, the sense of franticness slowly leaving his expression. The reaper looked infuriated, irritated, bothered to no end by this man that lay under him, muscles relaxed and not bothering to fight the other off. It was unheard of for a demon to submit with such ease, to lay there and simply take being restrained as he was.

He turned his head an inch to try and keep the other away from his scar, but it did little to help as Cain felt the other's lips touch the jagged indents in his skin, colored dark as if poison had been used to break his smooth and pale skin. The small reaction of closing his eye when it was kissed was all that he seemed to offer, even as the reaper whispered into his ear, questioning him of his fear. Except, there was honestly nothing a demon 'feared' so much as, per say, paranoid and maybe even obsessed about.

"Your food is burning." he responded. He could smell the smoke of the burning food and did not have to look up to see the small bouts of smoke coming from the stove beside them.

Julius frowned, glaring down at the expressionless man, furry taking over. He wanted to yell at the man. He wanted to punch that pretty face of his. He even felt like crying. What the hell was with all these endless emotions racing through him? He didn't understand it, nor wanted to. All he wanted to do was let it all out on this man. All of it! And he clearly couldn't control himself. He felt annoyed, angered, hurt, confused, frustrated, and he just wanted all that to end.

Julius harshly pushed himself off the man, glaring at the burning food. And as if he felt nothing, he punched the stove in, from the top of the frying pan – oil burning his skin – all the way to the burning fire wood inside the stove. The stove caved in, molded by his inhuman strength. He huffed irritably, as he turned to stare up at the now standing demon, his now red hand dripping hot oil. Julius grabbed the demon's collar, aggressively pushing him to the nearest wall. He raised his arm up, ready to punch a hole in his face, as liquid began spilling out of his eyes. This was a first for Julius. He'd never cried in his long life, ever before, but the over flowing emotions pushed him this far. He moved his arm to the side a little and ended up punching a hole into the wall beside Cain's head instead. Julius didn't care that his arm was stuck in the wall, as he buried his face into the confused man's chest, looking for comfort that he knew he couldn't get from this heartless demon.

The demon couldn't say he understood the other's feelings, as they seemed to explode with such intensity at him. But then, he had noticed that this one had quite the strange stirring of feelings towards him. The strong curiosity, the hug and following him around, and now this… He had never met someone so unexplainable. Cain watched the reaper with caution as he suddenly pushed himself up off him and took a hit at the stove, destroying the pan and that part of the stove as flames licked up the large dented wound in its hard surface.

He picked himself up off the floor, silence was but a useless remedy as the other closed the space quickly between them, capturing him by the collar and slamming him into the wall. Although he realized he was in the path of a fist ready to bludgeon his face, he did not move from the man's grip, staring back at his face rather than his already pulled back fist threatening to beat him senseless. This entire time, the poor man was collapsing in on his feeling, as Cain but watched. It must have driven the other insane, near ready to burst as tears seemed to come from his warm chocolate brown eyes; somehow unusual for a demon as he'd thought they all had that strange mixture of yellow and green. Watching it all come down on him, it was almost bittersweet that he could turn a reaper into a mess of emotions like he had with not even a word… Bitter because maybe he had been expecting more resilient and steady hate rather than this. Sweet maybe because he could cause such a feeling, for what reason there was no really recalling.

Cain didn't flinch as the reaper's fist hurtled towards him and hit the wall, breaking through the wood and filtering in clean sunlight that was fresh from the morning sunrise. The lightly orange tinted luminance giving his rather astray hair a more warm pink color as it touched the strands in small amounts. He had been expecting a strait shot to the face, but instead found himself unscathed. And even stranger, the reaper leaned into him, hiding his face in his chest, his fist still stuck in the wall.

A gentle hand placed itself on the back of the reaper's head, fingers laced through the silky dark locks. Those lilac eyes staring down at the man that had placed himself against him. He lightly lowered his head some, the bridge of his nose resting atop the other's head. The poor reaper must have felt wrecked, totally and utterly wrecked… After a few moments, he lifted his head and removed himself from the other's clutch so he could help free him from the wood. He broke away a few pieces of wood and slipped his arm out of the wood, the now larger and unblocked hole spilling in a bright light that cast an almost eerie silhouette of the buildings rowed across the street, the sun rising above them as crisp morning air filtered through the hole.

He grabbed the other's arm, guiding him away from the kitchen area and back towards the bed. He set him down in the chair, slipping away quickly and momentarily so he could grab the water basin and the dish towel, returning to the dark haired man and kneeling before him, taking his burnt hand and lightly using the towel to clean it of the oil with the cool water before cleaning the cloth and then dousing it in water and wrapping it around his hand to sooth the sting of the burns. As he held the cloth and his hand with both hands, he looked up at the reaper for a few long moments before standing up.

"Please stay here for a few moments." he said, picking up the water basin and returning to the stove, which was dangerously hiccupping flames, smoke rising from the food that spilled into the fire. He removed the murdered frying pan, throwing it in the basin to cool it before tossing it in the trash and quickly curing any other burnt food and dousing a lot of the fire so it would not burn again. He did not waste time cleaning up after the reaper, collecting broken wood and piling the usable pieces with the stack of wood, the rest going in the trash with the broken frying pan and the burnt portions of food. By the time he was done, it didn't look so bad, except maybe for the hole in the stove and his wall.

He collected the plate and neatly piled the food on it, killing the fire and pushing the two cooking dishes on the back of the stove and out of the way. Cain slowed his movements as he returned to the reaper, offering the plate to him. It was an embarrassingly simple meal, eggs, a little browned on one side from settling too long, a simple hash of potatoes and a strange firm looking white pudding of sorts. Of course, there would have been some oats with some fresh fruit, but that all went down in the stove. But oh well.

He sat down on the edge of the bed next to the reaper. "I have never met someone so destructive." he commented. "However, I do suppose it is my fault… I have neglected to tell you of this… special set of circumstances." he started. "I had been hoping to mend your hostility beforehand, but that does not appear possible." Yeah, and giving him a plate and fork likely wasn't a good idea on the destruction factor. But he hoped that maybe eating something would be pleasant enough so that this information did not sound as bad as it really was.

Julius hiccupped as the tears kept coming. What he did not expect was the man's gentle hand on his head. Julius didn't think this man was capable of such things, but he also didn't expect his own actions. Nonetheless, he accepted the comfort, and the help. He followed the man without a word, staring down at the cloth wrapped around his hand. It stung having cold on his overheated wound, but at the same time it felt nice. He didn't exactly need such a thing as it would heal on its own without his knowledge later on.

Cain was gone for what seemed like forever to Julius. He didn't want to be away from this man, not for a second, even though he was just in the other room, separated by a curtain. Julius sighed at such pathetic, ridiculous thoughts, wanting to punch himself now for his idiocy. What the hell was he thinking? How could he possibly lose himself like that, causing so much damage all in one day? William was definitely going to end him. He shivered at the thought of a furious William.

Julius bore a hole into the plate of food placed in front of him. He felt bad that Cain still went through the trouble of making him food after he'd destroyed the previous attempt. Yup, he was definitely going to punch himself a few times after this. He picked up the fork, being as polite as possible, scooping a piece of the yellow and brown egg, and shoving it in his mouth. As he chewed into the explosion of flavours, his senses went into over drive and his face beamed with excitement, almost forgetting everything that'd happened seconds earlier.

"This is amazing!" He yelled, food still in his mouth. "So this is what food tastes like! Amazing!" He repeated the adjective, shoving more of the astonishment into his mouth, not caring about chewing anymore. He swallowed as much as his oesophagus could handle, choking a little. Julius looked up at the amused demon, giving him a toothy grin. The smile quickly faded as he stared into the demon's beautiful eyes, his scar, then towards the broken mask.

"Why are you being so nice to me even though I-" Julius looked down ashamed, his voice getting lower, "Even though I did so many bad things to you…?" he continued, pouting and not daring to look up at the man. He put down the fork, chewing the last bits of food. "I'm sorry…"

It was funny to see the reaper so ecstatic about food; he had likely never had the chance to try it before. Although it was a tedious task to prepare, and genuinely useless other than for some sense of pleasure, it really was a delight at times to taste what these humans ate for nutrients. They had the strangest cuisines at times too, and it was rather interesting to try and replicate them. But this was much more interesting, watching the other devour the food as if it was his first time he'd ever eaten anything ever. Even a slight semblance of a smile seemed to curve his otherwise usually plain lips and graced his expression with a much more lighter feel rather than the passive, and almost cold, one that seemed to always occupy his face. Who knew that his mask was quite like his real face in expression?

The slight smile however faded with the other mentioned how horrible he had been. Well, it was not that bad, honestly. Except maybe the mask… he did already miss that mask. It was one he had kept for a very long length of time. He closed his eyes briefly and decided he should alleviate the reaper of his worries about the mask.

"I have another." he responded, standing up and walking up to the far edge of the bed near the wall and getting down on his hands and knees, leaning down far so that his back was arched somewhat, his chest hovering a mere millimeter from the floor as his toned ass hung in the air, an arm engulfed in the bed as his long hair laid on the floor, hanging off his back sideways as he searched for the mask, having to fight off nasty dust clumps. What could he say, he hadn't been here in a long time. Against his better use of time, he hadn't cleaned a lot of the place when the other was asleep, instead sitting by the bed all that time, watching him.

He found what he was looking for, wedged far by the wall, and retrieved it, pulling himself up and picking a few dust bunnies out of his long hair and dusting off his suit. He pulled up the mask. It was really rather plain… with but two end bar swirls that formed a heart in the middle of the mask. It was a bit of an embarrassing one, that was for sure… A hot pink heart mask.

He had another mask? Julius looked around the empty room, not finding such a thing. He was surprised to see the man go down on his knees and found himself watching him a little too lustfully. His eyes grew wide as his face instantly heated up. The man he'd been so attached to had done something unthinkable being in such a position. His butt was straight up in the air as he searched for something underneath the bed, as if teasing him. His eyes scanned over the man's body, yet he couldn't seem to take his eyes off that ass. Julius' heart skipped a beat as the man slowly got up. He frantically grabbed the blanket on the bed and covered his lap, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. What he was thinking of was far from ridiculous and embarrassing, and something he'd never experienced before. He'd only heard of such things come out of Grells mouth, not like that was the only thing in his mouth… Julius shook the thoughts out of his head, literally, and looked down at his hands which covered his excited organ underneath the blanket and his pants.

As he looked up at the man holding up the new mask with a bright pink heart in the middle of it, he was glad that something equally as embarrassing could get his mind out of the gutter. Somewhat. He tried hard not to smile, "You can't be serious… a heart?" he couldn't hold it anymore as the room echoed with his laughter. "Oh, what a manly man!" He yelled in-between maniac laughter, teasing the now embarrassed demon. He was laughing so hard that he managed to tip his chair as it sent him backwards, hitting the ground hard. Julius groaned in pain, rubbing the back of his head. He looked up the wide eyed demon confused. "Wha-" and before he could continue, he noticed the blanket had slipped off, revealing his hard-on with all its glory.

A soft color sprung up on his cheeks at the mentioning of the heart mask. "It… was a gift…" he tried to explain. Completely embarrassed about the adorable heart mask. But, it wasn't like he had a choice in it, since the other one was broken. Either way, it seemed he did have emotions! That and the crazy fit of laughter did not end well as the other fell back in his chair and hit the floor. Cain got up to help him, but instead saw quite the sight… He had absolutely no words, but the rather surprised expression on his face said all there need be.

He stood there, staring down at the reaper and drinking up the sight, his eyes darkening a little and a seductive smile taking over his lips. He obviously saw, and he quite liked what he saw. His eyes greedy and looked like a hunter ready to take his prey. Cain stepped over the flipped chair, literally standing above the man and dropping on top of him, mask still in hand.

"You are quite the exquisite man yourself." he responded. Oh dear, someone was fixated on something. But really, you couldn't blame him… When a demon wanted something, they went for it. At least, in most cases they did. Besides, he wanted to tease him. His hand pressed against his leg, sliding down towards his groin. But of course, he would not do anything the other did not want… at least in terms of signs. If he said no, and his body said a different thing, then the hell to his words.

"Did you see something you liked~?" he purred. He leaned down some, his hair creating a long purple veil around the reaper's face.

Julius stiffened under the demon's touch. "I-it's not my fault when you put up your ass like that in front of me…" His hormones were raging, and he almost moaned as the demon slowly neared his bulge. He couldn't deal with such over whelming emotion as he squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the teasing question. Julius squirmed under the man, moving his body in such a way, as if telling the demon to go lower.

"And I thought Grell was the idiot…" A familiar, all too calm voice echoed in the room.

Julius' eyes shot open as he instinctively tried to sit up, hitting Cain's forehead with his own. He groaned at the pain, as he slowly turned his head to stare at the flaming eyes of his supervisor. Julius gulped, moving Cain's hand away from his body gently, and stood up, his head hanging down. "William, I can explain…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

His grin spread when the other squirmed under him, welcoming his touch without much of a fight. Mmm, maybe it was not such a bad thought after all to be tied to this one… His hand brushed over his groin, coming at his belt line and his dark purple fingernail edging through the zipper and under the button, before he could sow his desire into the reaper under him, he heard another's voice and he tilted his head up, his smile fading and his lashes lowering into a rather dire gaze. But that was momentary before he was shot in the forehead and he fell backwards, putting a hand to his head from the two cracking each other's skulls. Gah! The hell was with the headshots today!?

Although he did not wish to retreat from the reaper, he removed himself from the other when it was signalled to by the moving of his hand and he stood up, staring back at the new man that invaded their privacy.

'William I can explain.' He highly doubted that.

Of all people to interrupt him at a time like this, Julius did not expect for it to be William. He sighed and prepared himself for the worst.

"Oh can you?" William eyed the demon, furious to see him in such a position, with a man never the better. "What is your business with this man, demon?" He asked Cain, as he pushed his glasses up with his middle finger, purposefully.

The other asked of his business with the frantic reaper as his eyes narrowed at his purpose use of his middle finger to position his glasses, and silence was his only answer to the insulting gesture and the crass inquiry. The tension felt like either one of them could go at each other's throats in any mere second.

Julius looked back at Cain, then at William, feeling the tension between them. He quickly took a step towards William, raising his hands out in front of him in defence. William was pretty quick with his attacks and he needed to get ready. "Look, it's not Cain's fault. I was being reckless…" He hung his head again, letting his guard down. In that second of carelessness, he found himself pinned to the wall behind him with William's extendable weapon. Julius grabbed on to the stick as his neck bled from being touched by the blades' teeth. He was in pain but not about to show it in front of William. That was the last thing he dared to do. It was bad enough he placed him in the same category as Grell due to his indecent position with the demon.

"I'll give you one chance to redeem yourself" William spoke coolly, "Finish the rest of your assignments by the end of the week, and come back to the realm to receive the next." He glared at Cain, "And none of what I just witness. Understood?"

Julius tried his best to nod against the blades sealing him in, "Yes sir…" he said without looking at the man, as the harsh reaper vanished, leaving Julius bleeding and falling to his knees suddenly. "Damn it" He cursed, too ashamed to look up at the demon. "I'm sorry you had to see that…"

Cain stood his ground, lightly fixating the mask back over his face and the cold, and rather ironic symbolic mask staring back at the two's interaction. He wondered if he could hurt this one with the strange item and glasses. But then, he did not wish to risk having his tempting reaper taken from him so soon. You could almost feel the defiant grin behind that blank mask when the tenacious bossy man looked his direction, ordering them not to do any of what they just did or more.

"Quite the repugnant trepidation isn't he." were his only words he sneered when the bastard with the glasses left. Cain slowly stepped over to the reaper, lightly using a hand to tie back his hair in a more proper fashion and running his fingers through it momentarily before crouching down before the reaper and pulling the lilac handkerchief out of his front pocket and offering it out to him for the bleeding, the other hand placing itself on top of his head in a reassuring and almost embarrassingly familiar fashion. "Do not apologize."

Julius felt pathetic and at lose. He wasn't supposed to be here. He wasn't supposed to be doing, or feeling any of this, and it seemed William's sudden appearance reminded him of that. Tears threatened to leave his eyes as he looked up at this demon he felt so attached to. This man who had yet to judge him for his unexplainable actions. This strange demon that seemed to be just as fond of him as he was of the demon. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay here, by this man's side as long as it took for him to comprehend his own feelings, and maybe longer. He wanted to be comforted, he wanted to be loved. Something he'd been longing for since the day he was pronounced grim reaper. Something he had never wanted more than ever until he'd met this graceful demon. As Cain patted his head, as if telling him everything was going to be fine, Julius closed his eyes, allowing the tears to run freely down his face.

Julius reached for Cain's hand, not taking the handkerchief offered to him, but grabbing hold of his hand instead. Julius brought Cain's hand to his quivering mouth, kissing the side of his index finger lightly. Without moving Cain's hand away from his mouth, Julius sniffled then said, "Please don't leave me…" his voice only a pained, helpless whisper. He looked down, ashamed of his own weakness, not daring to let go of the other's hand as he held it close to his beating heart.

Oh dear, he was going to cry, wasn't he? He could see it coming, the gathering of tears ready to pour over and soon quite did. It was difficult not to feel pity for the reaper, or any other sort of sympathy. And with all considering, it must have been quite the feat for this reaper to pull the heart strings of a demon that was usually the one doing the pulling. He did not pull his hand away, letting the other hold his hand. It had to be one of the saddest things he had ever seen, mainly because he had seen the reaper before his fall from glorious composure. However so it certainly was not as sad as some other things, it was quite sad enough for the demon to sympathize.

He lightly moved closer to Julius, sitting down next to him and taking the handkerchief in his free hand and lightly pressing it to his throat to ease some of the bleeding. "Oh, I could not leave you even if so I wished, Master Reaper." he replied. "I am bound to you until your coming death, even so, I have doubts that this messy knot will ever straiten itself out."

"Perhaps now I shall tell you what our contract is." he spoke, arm wrapped around him in a comforting manner. "My original contract is protected by a certain safety clause, the sentence that may make the most sense- 'If the death of the soul bearer is caused by another sentient being, then the responsibilities of the deceased shall be theirs to resolve.' - I do suppose it should make things clear for you. The dead is no longer my master- you are. And it is upon this clause to serve you so long as you live."

"Speaking of such things … I did not receive your name."

Julius was in trouble. Ever sense he met this demon everything he did was going completely against the grim reapers' rules, and corrupting the balance of the world. He knew he was going to be punished for his actions but before they could take him away, Julius was going to make sure that his feelings were true. That he truly loved this man before him. He knew it had to be that, otherwise he would never be so drawn to him in such a way.

He ignored the 'contract talk', as he knew of it from previous assignments, even though he was never tied to one before. He pulled on the other man's arm in order for their bodies to touch. He couldn't feel any warmth come out of this one's body, as he clearly was not human, but he still wanted to feel every inch of him. Julius intertwined his fingers with Cain's hand that he claimed not that long ago, and smiled when the man took his mask off to reveal his beautiful features, as Julius touched his face with his free hand. Their faces were inches away from each other, Julius' needy, hot breaths warming up Cain's face. "Julius" he whispered, his lips touching the other's as the word escaped from his mouth.

Julius couldn't hold back any longer as he crushed his lips with Cain's, tears still falling down his cheeks. His violent actions led to him unintentionally pushing Cain down to the floor, as he attacked him with his lips. Biting Cain's lower lip, playing with his tongue. Moving on to his strong jaw line, licking it softly. Going down to his neck, and lightly biting his collar bone. All this time, their hands were still intertwined. His emotions were all over the place.

There were no words to be exchanged when the other pulled him closer, no space left between their bodies. So it seemed the shenanigans would continue sooner than expected~ He highly doubted the snobby William prick would come by so soon after his last pop in… so why not? He untied his mask, setting it aside, not worrying about it, a very odd thing all considering how he had acted earlier towards concealing his scarred face. The other's skin was soft over his, gentle even, caressing his cheek as he felt the other's fingers lock with his, eyes gazing into the other's dark chocolate ones.

Julius… what a magnificent name, breathed over his skin with prickling warmth. There was little to restrain Julius as he crushed his lips to his, leaning so far into him with his sudden attack of his lips that he fell backwards from the other's weight, landing on his back. He wasn't a bad kisser, although a little clumsy… he was sure he could fix that. Although he let the other explore his mouth willingly, then trailing his kisses and wet, hot tongue over his skin, down his jaw line and to his tender neck that he lightly exposed more to the other as he tilted his head to the side. However, the attention seemed to stop at the jacket.  
Julius ran his free hand up and down the demon's body, as he played with the buttons on his coat. They were such frustrating little things, but Julius was careful not to rip them, as he'd already done enough damage with the mask. He let go of Cain's hand, and stopped kissing him as he concentrated on opening that damn coat. He looked like a frustrated child. His knees were on either side of Cain's hips, his hands busying themselves with those buttons. He huffed in anger, "What's with these damn buttons?!" he spat through his teeth, receiving a chuckle in return from the demon. He wasn't about to ask for help for such a seemingly simple task, as he worked hard to not rip the coat in half.

Cain stared up at him as the other man was trying to work with the irritating silver buttons, fumbling with them. The thought of the other's dismay came to mind when he would find yet more buttons just below, and even more yet beyond that. It made him laugh, although not necessarily at Julius himself. It seemed Julius wanted to do it himself, so he would, but that did not mean he could not help him. Cain snaked his hands up and his hand went up his jacket, suddenly pulling it apart from the front. Amazingly, not a single button was ripped loose, although maybe a tad stretched, but that was nothing to fuss about.

Julius' cheeks burnt with embarrassment and frustration as the demon helped him. He stared at the man's white shirt underneath the coat and groan, working on those buttons as well. Finally, minutes later, he had revealed the other's naked chest. It was beautiful. Muscle as if carved in artistically, nipples small and pink. His body built yet slim and not too pale. He bent closer, his hands and tongue admiring the other man's body, running down his abs slowly, kissing his navel, then up to his nipples. He'd read, and studied sex, as it was one of the mandatory needs of the human being, something he had to know, but he'd never actually done it. He was nervous and stiff. He was scared he was doing, or going to do something wrong. The way he moved over the other's body was mostly due to clumsy instinct, but he still ran through the instructions in his head, his body tensing further. Julius cautiously kissed the other's nipple, then bit down on it as gently as he could, looking up from underneath his lashes at Cain's face to see his reaction.

To be so careful, honestly, Cain had never met anyone so patient as to not ruin his clothing. So it was very interesting to stare at Julius as he worked away at the buttons until he finally revealed his chest. Cain only but stared up at Julius as the other admired him, exploring his skin with his hot tongue and lavishing the soft fair skin with wet warmth. Why was he being so gentle, he wondered, as he looked down at the other as he kissed his navel.

He did not linger on wondering however when Julius decided to take it upon himself to bring his attention to his nipple, lips gingerly touching the tender flesh before biting down on it. Despite being such a small touch of the nerves, it did well to get a reaction out of Cain. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back a little, enjoying the bit of pressure and small bit of pain in the bite, allowing a moan to purr from his thin lips. Disappointment was all he honestly felt when the other suddenly pulled away.

Julius froze. Cain almost looked in pain as a moan escaped his lips. Julius quickly sat up, trying not to put all his weight on the demon's stomach as he did. Julius' hands were on the man's chest, frozen in place, not daring to do anything else to him.

He opened his eyes, looking up at the other male, who looked extremely worried. And then he realized it- he was a virgin! Cain could have laughed, for someone so eager, he had no experience what so ever. Now, that just would not do, now would it? It seemed he would have to do some teaching, not that taking control was a bad thing. Oho, not at all.

"Such innocence~ I will gladly make this first sexual encounter of yours quite pleasurable." he said with a smirk, intending to tease him, if only so he could turn the tables. It was easier that way, for not all first timers were willing to take the bottom so quickly. Cain snatched Julius by the leg, pulling him up and suddenly getting up, flipping him on his back and ending up on top of him, hand still firmly placed at his leg. His lilac eyes briefly took in the now vulnerable Julius as he shrugged off the shirt that was still clinging at him by the sleeves, freeing himself from the cloth as he tossed it away and worked swiftly on Julius's clothes, not caring to be extremely delicate as the other had as he forced his jacket off and ripped his shirt off, tearing buttons and the collar in the process. He had spare clothes, so he was never worried if they were to become dishevelled in the process. Cain easily got to his pants, unbuttoning them and sweeping them off his legs, tossing that away as well.

Julius had not expected the latter. Cain had picked him up, turning him so he was bottoming this time. He clearly wasn't being gentle at all as he ripped his shirt apart. Julius let out a small gasp from sheer surprise. It was interesting seeing the demon like this. He thought with such a gentle face and beautiful features he would be docile, but turned out to be the opposite. He was rash, violent and… Damn hot.

Cain's hands worked over Julius's body as he sat over him, pin pointing as many spots as he could that the man was sensitive to and that made him shiver or caused his muscles to tighten ever so subtly. He targeted those spots mercilessly, running his delicate and skilful fingers over his torso and legs, swirling over the curves of his body and toying with him. His eyes gazing coolly down at him. He leaned down, long purple hair falling over Julius's skin, flowing over him and tickling his skin as he ran his lips over his chest, his breath spilling over him in purposeful warmth. He pulled a hand away from its duty of torturing the reaper's soft spots, assigning it the new task of rubbing over his nipple, finger circling around it and teasing.

Cain was not new to this, oh no. And it was always a treat to have a virgin every once in a while, it satisfied him to steal their innocence away, to engraved them with sin and lust. If anything, that thought alone made Julius all the more desirable. He ran his tongue over his nipple, innocently lapping at it, before digging his nail into the flesh, pinching a little roughly and bringing some crimson coloring to the surface before licking over the wound. He was being quite tame, gentler than he usually was for the sake of Julius, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to hurt him a little. It was all in the fun of marking him, drawing his pretty crimson liquid up to the surface.

He trailed his lips up away from his chest, biting and nipping at his collarbone and the soft flesh of his neck and shoulder until he came to his jaw line. He traced his tongue over the defining bone and to his ear, his free hand teasing low to his abdomen, brushing past his navel and to the muscle that traced down to his most sensitive area. Cain briefly flicked his tongue over the edge of Julius's ear, taking the ridge between his lips playfully before whispering to him.

"For future reference, my dearest Master Julius, I quite like it rough." he spoke to him. So of course the other did not have to worry about hurting him, it was in his nature to enjoy the pain of others, and quite loved the nature of pain biting at his nerves. He wasn't much of a glutton for it, per say, so much as it only proved to turn him on more than normal sex. His hand disappeared down to his groin, grasping his organ in his hand and giving only small bits of attention towards it, intentionally teasing him, torturing him. "Tell me what you wish for me to do, Master Julius." he taunted. "Would you like me to take you, or would you prefer me to ride you~?" he inquired. His voice laced with seductive purrs that elegantly swivelled from his tongue. To be so candid and forward, he honestly was not embarrassed about this at all, while Julius on the other hand was sure to be more than embarrassed by it, he was sure.

Julius whimpered at the stronger man's teasing touch, and let out another gasp as the demon bit his nipple. His hormones were raging as his member hardened with each shiver. His breathing was becoming so loud and uneven from simple touches he was ready to smack himself awake. But he didn't. He allowed his body to melt into Cain's touch. His body began trembling as the demon grabbed on to his sensitive organ, teasing him further. Julius found himself moving his hips back and forth in order to intensify the feeling of ecstasy. He let out moans, and gasped for air, his vision becoming hazy slowly. He wasn't used to this feeling of pleasure, so it wasn't a surprise he was slowly losing consciousness. He dug his nails in Cain's upper arm, his expression shameless as he begged. "Please… Take me… Cain… Cain." He whispered between gasps. He didn't quite know what he meant and said whatever came to mind first. Either way, he knew he wouldn't regret it. He knew that if it was Cain, anything would be okay.

Cain licked his lips, just what he wanted to hear. "As you wish." he spoke into his ear, removing himself from Julius, only to pick him up and cart him off to the bed, dropping him down on the sheets and greedily taking him into his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

As Julius predicted from his previously untouched body, he fell into unconsciousness seconds after they'd gasped in pleasure for the last time that night. His eyelids felt heavy on his eyes, and his body was sore. Cain wasn't being gentle with him at all, especially when that was his first time. He left him bleeding from places he never thought he'd be bleeding from. It was torturous yet brilliant, but his body couldn't put up with as much as he'd wanted. He felt wonderful nevertheless. A strange feeling of warmth creeping up and down his body as he cuddled into the demon's back.

Cain slipped out of the arms of Julius and out from under the covers of the bed. It was near noon now. Oh how time flew, not that he had anything to do now… Which had a rather empty feeling. Strange, that he actually wished he had something to do. He stretched his muscles, his back gloriously decorated with the marks of the other, just as Julius probably had more than a few deep scratches from him. Julius held up nicely for his first time, wonderful for him. However, he did feel the need to shower, some sweat still clinging to his glorious naked body from well spent lust. He ran a hand over his back, smearing some of the blood in the process, feeling the new small ridges that overlapped an old scar.

He started gathering his clothes, as well as Julius's, pulling on his pants and slipping on the rest of his clothes before folding Julius's and retrieving him a new shirt, laying it on the chair beside the bed as he gathered the used dishes and carted them off to the kitchen area, deciding to at least clean up a little. He did not like to stay in bed for too long; being so inactive was against his better nature.

Disappointment over powered the warmth inside of him. Julius felt the bed sink in and rise back up as his partner moved out of his reach. He slowly opened his eyes, watching the demon move around the room and disappear into the kitchen. His eyes widened as he noticed the new marks Cain had on his back before he covered them with a shirt and winced at his own. They really did go too far, but it felt good either way.

Something about the demon wasn't right though, he could feel it. It threw him off, and he needed to find out what had him bothered. In usual situations he would ignore this feeling and let nature take its course as if he didn't notice the other's hurt. He didn't care enough. But Cain was different. Julius shared his body with this man. There were no more personal boundaries between them and he wasn't about to start building one. At least… he didn't wish to. A groan could be heard as Julius forced his heavy, sore body up. He located his pants and slipped them on, ignoring the new shirt placed out for him. He rubbed his back with a sigh. "He's really rough…" Julius whispered quietly to himself. Another sigh escaped his lips as he followed Cain into the Kitchen. He watched the distracted demon carefully. Something was certainly off about him. He didn't even notice him moving as Julius softly wrapped his arms around the taller man's waist, hugging him from behind, causing the demon to flinch a little. Julius put his lips to the back of the man's head, kissing his hair, "if you ever cut your hair, I'll find a way to end you" he threatened lovingly chuckling into the man's neck.

Cain had his hands busy, washing the plate between his soapy hands. Almost too concentrated on cleaning it, as if he couldn't bear to have any part of it imperfect or dirtied. Nothing but the same old rather cold expression back on his face as he scrubbed at the dish with the wet cloth, digging at the stuck on food with his nail. In all honesty he had not noticed Julius get up, nor him following into the kitchen- that is, until he felt the warm and sudden sensation of the other grab him by the waist, hugging him close. He had inexplicably flinched at the action, having been caught off guard by the reaper. Cain had stopped scrubbing at the dish, seemingly just a tad tense. Julius went on about his hair, threatening him if he cut it.

"I assure you it shall never happen. It is the one thing I am proud of." he replied, head lowering a bit and going back to scrubbing the dish, soaking it in the water and bringing it back up. Still some stuck on food. That's what he got for leaving it out. He did not mind the other cuddling into him as he was, but he was not partaking in it either as he focused on the stubborn dish that refused to become clean.

Julius frowned at the other's indifference towards his closeness. He felt a little hurt, but the feeling quickly subsided as stubbornness took in. Julius reached from underneath his partner's arm and grabbed hold of the man's right hand in order to stop him from washing the dishes. The reaper's other arm went around the demon, reaching up for his face as he covered Cain's eyes with his left hand, leaning his head back a little so the demon's head touched Julius' shoulder. They stood there, in the same position, in silence for what seemed like a few minutes. Their slow breaths and the running water were the only things that could be heard. It was somewhat eerie in a sense that Julius didn't know what exactly to say, thinking maybe the taller man wasn't as comfortable as he was. He just wanted to make the man he loved feel better, but he may have failed.

Cain stared down at the mucky water, eyes shifting, gazing at the other's hand resting over his, staying his movements, forcing him to quit scrubbing at the dish. Forcing his attention away from the trivial task as his arm shifted around him, fingers brushing over his cheek as he covered his eyes and gingerly tilted his head back, fitting themselves together as he held the plate in his hand. He was stilled, almost uncomfortably so, as the other kept a firm, yet caring hold on him, keeping him in place. Trapping him.

Julius sighed into the other's ear, receiving a small shiver which brought a smile to his face. "Are you alright, Cain?" Julius finally asked not letting go of the man at all. "You're acting a bit strange…" He wondered if that was the right approach, but it didn't seem wrong to ask. He didn't even know why exactly it was necessary to hide the man's eyes. It just happened he guessed. As if covering the demon's eyes could stop his distractions so he could only focus on Julius and nothing else. He found himself subconsciously rubbing his unshaven face against the demon's softer one, realising he probably should stop before it got uncomfortable for the other. He desperately needed a shave… Julius closed his own eyes slowly, breathing in the man's scent. It was pleasant yet he knew the man needed a bath. They both did. They were at it for too long last night. Not that he was complaining or anything.

Standing here like this, it made Cain's knees want to give out, made his chest ache as if some invisible force were to constrict him. He could feel the other breathing, his chest gently shifting as it rose and fell with each tender breath, feeling that soft breath even tingle over the tip of his ear and the side of his jaw. The soft sigh brought a spill of warmth that sent a cold chill through his body, goose bumps forming over his skin. He held a little tighter on the dish as the words came from the reaper's tender lips, intruding on his ear like an unwanted visitor.

"What could possibly be wrong…" he muttered. "I have purpose, I have someone to serve- is that not all a lowly demon could ever hope for." he said, just a bit spitefully. The crack of the dish could be heard as it broke from his hard grasp, shattering in his hand and cutting his soft flesh. He lightly dropped the remains of the plate in the water, reaching up and grasping his wrist, pulling his hand away from his eyes, staring up at Julius. What could one describe such a look as? Melancholic, hurt, rather angry even. Perhaps he was angry at himself. Who couldn't really tell why.

The truth was… Although he did have a new master, a new purpose… the purpose was empty. This one would be gone and he would have nothing. A week was his time left, after that, this one would vanish, and so too would he. Back to a distasteful life, should Julius abandon him. He wasn't sure what he was most displeased at- the fact he was ensnared by a reaper, only to be left and useless, or the fact it only dared remind him of just how pitiful he was. How weak… Perhaps it was something else he did not bare think about.

"I am fine- do I not always seem to be?" he responded, sweeping away the traces of his weakness. He was not willing to show it. Never would he willingly let another see the cracks of his fragmented reality. And never to this man- especially this one… He would never forgive himself if this one saw any more than he had, more than the mark of his weakness. For if this man seemed to be the only one able to break him.

Julius didn't fight against the demon as he removed his hand and turned to face him. His ear twitching at the sound of the cracked glass, and the consequence to follow as the demon bled. Julius' eyes widened as the demon looked into his eyes. It was only for a split second but he could see mixed emotions of hurt, and anger, then those cold eyes came back to stare him down. Julius sighed, he felt like crying. He wanted to shake the demon until he told him what was on his mind. He wanted to kiss him, drag him back to the bed and cuddle with him forever, or until William came back to haunt them. He wanted to tell the demon that no matter what was bothering him, that it was going to be okay, that he was here and wasn't about to leave him alone. That he loved him with all his heart. But he knew he couldn't keep any promise of staying by him. He knew a week was all they were given and he knew he couldn't do anything about that. He wanted so desperately to stay by him and sink into his strong arms, but all he could do was let out a heavy sigh and avoid the demon's eyes.

He was angry. Angry at the demon, at himself, at this world. Just when he finally found a purpose, a reason in this infinite life, his happiness was slowly being taken away from him. He desperately held on to that shrinking hair of happiness that made him so content, but he knew it was going to just disappear sooner or later. Julius glared down at the floor, furious with himself as he allowed weakness to be shown to the demon once more, his tears dripping from his eyes and to the floor. He wanted to punch a hole in that floor. Something to replace his empty heart. He just wanted to be with this man. Why couldn't the world possible accept that? He snorted, amused at his latter thoughts. He knew he was going to be punished after his due date by the Reaper superiors. His actions were far from tolerable and he was going to get punished for them. Punished for feeling. Punished for being happy. Punished for being in love.

Julius grit his teeth and let go of Cain's hand slowly, his fingertips sliding down the demon's hand. He quickly and angrily rubbed at his tears with his arm and took a step backwards without looking at Cain. "I should probably finish with the rest of my assignments…" He swallowed back threatening tears and continued, "… before my due date…" his voice cracked at the end as he turned swiftly and headed back into the bedroom looking for his shirt. He glared down at the new shirt that Cain had so caringly laid out for him. His face flushed with anger as tears made their way back down his face.

-Damn it all…-

Tears… this one certainly did cry a lot. Didn't he? Cain did not move as the other retracted himself, pulling away and hiding away his tears, wiping them away and distancing himself from him. That was best, was it not? If they were to separate anyhow, why prolong it… There was no use in it. No use trying, or attempting to make something work that was clearly impossible. Who ever heard of a reaper staying on earth for longer than their intended stay? It was less likely than hell freezing over and turning into candy land.

Yet, as he stood there, near death still, eyes unwilling to look at the other, he felt he could not simply let it be. He did not want to be useless, he did not want to go back to a meaningless life with nothing to keep his thoughts out of the past. He raised his eyes, those lilac eyes soft and almost sad as he stared at the other's back. Julius clearly was in distress, as he gathered the shirt he had laid out for him. He could see the heart-ache, the pain in his rather stiff movement. He closed his eyes briefly, brows furrowing together as his lip curled in detest. No, he could not let him go. Julius was his, his owner- his soul. He would have him.

Cain firmly and quickly walked up to him, not bothering to be silent, footsteps apparent as he came up behind him, grabbing him by the back of his pants, pulling him close and wrapping an arm tight around his shoulder, wrapping the other under his arms as he rested his chin on the back of his shoulder blade, the other's hair tickling his nose as he relished the other's warmth.

"Ego tibi semper erunt, et tantum tua. Quid me velis sed quaeso, ne derelinquas me ... Non ita crudelis …" He whispered, the language flowing vitally off his tongue, yet it yearned with such an intense sadness that it could grasp onto any heart capable of feeling. "Placere…" you could hear the begging in his voice, pleading even. He could not explain it, how desperately he wished to hold onto this one. He was unwilling to let him get away, unwilling to lose him without a fight. This sensation was one he was unfamiliar with, as it blocked his chest and possibly made it hard to breathe.

The warm sensation bothered his eyes, blurring over his sight. He pressed himself closer to Julius, wrapping his arms more firmly around him as he closed his eyes, the drops of water falling from his dark lashes and dripping upon the other's shoulder, trailing down his skin. To shed tears… no demon would ever do such a thing, it was shameful. It was weak. What was it about this man that haunted him? Was it pure desperation of his final chance that made him cling to him? Perhaps. Although that sounded a lot more sad and desperate than it should have in his mind as it rolled over his thoughts.

"Please, do not go." he whispered.

How could he? How could he leave the man he'd been yearning for his entire life? The man who he gave everything to. The man he loved so much. The man who finally showed everything to him as salt water drizzled down his bare shoulder. Julius let go of the shirt he was about to wear and turned around awkwardly so he could face the demon, grabbing hold of his face, his hands on either side of Cain's face, forcing him to look into his eyes. He'd never seen such sorrow, and loneliness. It was as if he was looking back at himself. Looking at his own loneliness. His own pain. They truly shared everything now, and he wasn't ready to let something like this slip away. He clung on to that small hair of happiness with all his might.

Julius allowed the other to cry as he crushed his lips with the demon's. It wasn't long. A small, sweet, yet passion filled kiss to relieve his partner of his worries. Another kiss followed right after, this time more intense and needy, as Julius pushed Cain back onto the bed, stealing his breath away. Fingers intertwined together while others teased. He wanted to show this man how much he loved him even if it meant doing so a million times. Julius broke the kiss to breath. He moved his head a little and allowed it to flop face down, beside Cain's head on the pillow. His quickened breaths invading Cain's ear as he softly kissed the demon's ear lobe. "I love you…" Julius whispered before the two molded into each other.

~*Cock block #2*~

Slow, warm breaths touched his bare skin as he awoke from a wonderful dream. Julius turned to stare at the mesmerizing, sleeping body next to him. His partner's cheek rested on his chest, while his hand just above the reaper's navel. Julius chuckled quietly as Cain began to murmur randomly in his sleep. He loved this side of the demon. The more subtle, peaceful side of him. It was cute. He softly moved the demon's hair away from his forehead as he leaned closer to brush his lips against it. "I'll never leave you" He whispered, "I promise". He didn't want to wake him from such a peaceful sleep, but he knew he needed to get those damned assignments off his back. Julius sighed, vexed at his own thoughts. Of all things he could be thinking about it, it had to go back to that… He gently moved the demon's head off his chest and placed it on the pillow, getting off the bed in the process.

"I should just quickly finish those three off and come back before he awakens…" he grit his teeth at his cold tone. He'd never meant to sound so indifferent towards precious human lives, but he knew that the sleeping man was far more important. He smiled down at his lover; glad he finally had something to come back to as he quickly slipped his clothes on, and headed out, without a sound.

He jumped through the city, from building to building, sighing in relief as it was too dark for anyone to spot him. He was going to break the rules a little and finish his assignments all in one day. He was going to be punished anyway and he guessed he was just giving the superiors more of a reason to do so.

He allowed an hour in between each assignment, gritting his teeth in regret as he desperately wanted to go back to cuddling his partner. A smile crept up Julius' face as thoughts about the mumbling demon rose to his mind. He quickened his pace, making his way back to where he should be, before halting in place, feeling an unpleasant presence ripple through the air. Julius turned and growled at his superior not caring how loud he was being, "You lied to me!"

"I knew you wouldn't leave things to the last minute, but I didn't expect you to break the rules like that" an all too calm voice slipped from confident lips of the body that had appeared out of nowhere. William pulled his glasses up with his middle finger as he coldly looked at the furious man.

"You can't do this to me, William!" Julius screamed at the reaper, "Give me the promised week! Please!" He looked down as he begged; his voice shrinking. "Please William, and then I'll receive any punishment they're willing to give me without a sound…" He made fists with his hands, his thoughts haunted by the tears of his lover, "Please…" he pleaded.

"Honestly… This is what happens when a reaper isn't supervised properly." William sighed, approaching the pained reaper, "You are to obey orders and follow me without a word, otherwise I am not responsible to what happens to that demon you cling on to so desperately" He grabbed on to Julius' arm.

Julius shot up, glaring at William with bewildered eyes, "Leave him out of this!" He screamed at his superior, yet didn't dare fight against him. William never bluffs, so his threatening was true and possible. The superiors would find every possible way to harm his lover in order to torture Julius, and he wasn't about to allow that to happen. He silently allowed himself to be dragged back into the reaper realm and towards the main hall, entering the superiors' oversized judgement room, his head bowed in regret. He was not ashamed. He never regretted loving Cain, and allowing him to see every piece of him. His only regrets were waking up and leaving the demon. He regretted finishing his assignments and not fighting the reaper. He regretted leaving Cain behind when he promised he'd never leave him.

Emotionally and physically spent, Cain relished in the warmth. Finally taking the time to ease his mind and simply let some peace take over, finally allowing his needed rest. It seemed like an eternity before he finally awoke, drowsy and still rather stuck in a hazy warm embrace from the ghostly memories of being embraced in the other's arms. The second time in twenty four hours, not the first time, but certainly it wasn't often he got to spend himself so thoroughly with another. In fact, it had been a while since he last indulged so shamelessly.

He slowly shifted, moving off his chest and rolling over on his side, using a hand to pull the long locks out from under him. Julius caught on quick, he smirked at the thought, closing his eyes for a few moments before turning his head, expecting to see the reaper lying next to him asleep and cuddling into the sheets. But instead, he found no one… Cain stared openly at the empty spot, wrinkled and a bit bare from past company, now cold from lack thereof.

He sat up, hopelessly gazing around the small area in search of the man he had broken for. He was gone… It was pure shock that had him in dismayed silence. But the intense emotions hit him like a brick wall. Julius had left him there, without a word. And quite a while ago too by the looks of it. The first thing he felt was anger, scorn, that the bastard had dared trifle with him, played him like a damn hopeless fool, screwed him, and left him totally and utterly stranded in bed like a helpless rabbit. It infuriated him! How dare that reaper toy with him!

His eyes flared red, pupils shrinking into diamond slits, a revolting hiss escaping from his throat as he threw the covers off himself, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and quickly gathering himself into presentable condition. He was going to be sure to find that bastard and carve him into pieces for playing him like a fool! He swiped his mask, ridiculous it may have been for his anger, but damn well he did not have any other mask to choose. He tied the mask on tight, knotting it and tying down his hair. He quickly leapt out of the trap door, kicking it closed and jumping off the roof, landing in the alley bellow, cracking the crate bellow his feet.

He followed what traces he could find of Julius, wandering for what seemed forever, coming across cadavers, but nothing more… His anger slowly cooled and melted into worry when he could not find him immediately. If he was on earth, he would have found him much quicker, he had been given a week, had he not? Or did he already return? Or was he taken… that last thought flared his anger once more and brought ugly suspicions. William… that was the name he had locked in his mind. That impulsive prick. He was the cause of this, he knew it. The dark eyes of his mask faintly glowed red, his gloveless fingers curling into enraged fists, his long sharp nails digging into his palms.

-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-~*'¨¯¨'*·~-

The sound of the whip as it connected with flesh was unsettling. The leather ripped through his skin, as crimson traced his back muscles. He did not utter a sound. Never allowing those bastards the pleasure of knowing he was in pain. He soundlessly bit his lower lip until it bled, his eyes tightly shut. His hands clutched on to the ropes that pulled his arms up and apart from each other as he was on his knees. His body was twitching uncontrollably with every whip at his back.

"Claim your treason boy, and you will be released" One of the superior's mighty voice echoed through the room.

The swinging of the torture devise paused, allowing him to speak. "Love is not treaso-" he grit his teeth as a small gasped escaped his throat as thick leather connected with his back again. Several times, not allowing him to breath. Julius tried hard to compose himself, controlling his breathing, steadying his shivering body, as he glared up at his heartless superiors. His thoughts were completely laced with Cain's peaceful sleeping face as he last left it. He knew he could never escape this hell, but every and any chance he was given that little bit of freedom, he was going to go back to the man who gave him purpose and sink into him.

"Cain…" A whisper could barely be heard out of the reaper as he allowed harm to be afflicted to his body.

As if upon the will of the hurt reaper, the room became colder, the temperature dropping rapidly, a dark haze falling over the extraordinary sized room. A dark purple mist swirled just in front of the bleeding reaper, the form of the long haired man resurrecting from thin air as the realm at his breech seemed to twist, a crack in their frame. Cain had bleed in from the contract, Julius was his way in and his only way in. And he was here in the flesh. He caught the leathery weapon as soon as he appeared, cold hand snatching the threatening bind and curling it around his fingers, holding it so tight his rigged knuckles were white, dark nails tearing into the leather like teeth, creating a steal grip on the weapon.

His long hair, confined by a dark ribbon, swayed lightly over his back. Those dark deep abyssal holes of eyes in the cold emotionless mask bright red. Angry, full of animosity. He was here to bring a taste of pure hell to these bastards that dare touch the reaper he had shared his bed with. No one was going to hurt him and get away with it. Yes, he was weaker here, and he certainly was drastically outnumbered… But he was not going down without a fight and without a few heads to be cleaved.

88"A great crimson river shall stain your realm for harming Master Julius." he seethed. That was not just a threat, it was a damned promise he would be sure to go through with. Sure, he might not be able to particularly kill them, but he could still sever their heads, cut off their limbs, and tear them apart for as long as he could before he got his ass handed to him and had to retreat with Julius. Sounded like a plan, rash, but you couldn't quite blame the demon. He was a demon! Of course he was going to go bat shit crazy if you took something of his that he intended to keep. Julius was no exception. His first target, the one with the whip.

He yanked the whip right out of his hands, lassoing it back to wrap around the other's neck and thrashing him to the ground before leaping at him, tangling with the man as his clawed nailed shredded him, speckles of crimson blood spraying over the soft white mask and marring the perfect white with a red contrast. When the man was no longer moving, either too pained to move or as near death as he could get, he lifted his head to face the oh so superior bastards, a small trickle of blood trailing down the side of his mask and dripping off his chin. He was going to go after every single person in his way, lord help them if they could stop him before he caused too much damage. Most demons were quite destructive enough calm and collected- an enraged demon, well, that was just a bloody massacre.

As if calling the demon's name had summoned him, Julius felt severe pain to his chest where the demon's contract was tattooed onto him, as the demon appeared before him stopping the last whip from connecting with his back. Julius thought he was hallucinating, as he was definitely in deep pain, and his vision was certainly becoming hazy. He snapped out of his denial as the reaper ripped through his tormentor. Julius grit his teeth, grabbing hold of the ropes keeping him still and pulling on them with a great grunt, freeing himself. He glared at the idiotic demon. Julius was an elite Reaper, legend from the weapon he was given by his master. He could have gotten out of any situation, but he only stayed, and allowed his body to be harmed to keep them from hurting Cain. And here the demon was, waltzing around the room, dislocating limbs without a second thought. He wanted to punch that damned mask in until his hand came out the other side of the demon's head. His superiors would find every way possible to torture the demon when they got their hands on him, and they were clearly out numbered. He was exhausted from lose of blood and pain, but he wasn't about to allow the idiot to take all those reapers on his own.

He noticed William and the young blond haired reaper, Ronald approaching Cain from either side of him, while he was already occupied by another reaper. Julius ran towards Cain, back bent as he pivoted kicking the reaper in front of the demon in the process. Julius stood in front of the shocked Cain, glaring at him for only a second as he swung his arms around the still demon, using the thick ropes that still cling to his wrists as a weapon. William managed to dodge it as he stepped back and out of reach, but the poor young reaper was hit and thrown backwards. Julius swung around, turning his back to his lover. He glared up at his superiors as a means of challenge.

Cain could not say it was logical, nor was it smart, to be here tearing through people like tissue paper, if only to put his anger into something physical and unleash his wrath on the bastards that were the ones threatening his purpose. Threatening to take away Julius and keep him here. He would not allow it! By the time he was finished, he would be sure this floor was painted completely red- with not a spot left untouched by their life liquid!

He went at the reaper in front of him, fist connecting with the other's weapon as the poor bastard managed a block and tried to subdue him, but all he managed was to distract him. Enough to catch him off guard when Julius flew past him and took out the reaper in front of him with a nasty kick that likely unhinged the poor sucker's jaw. Cain noticed the two that were trying to creep up on him as Julius lashed out at them, forcing them back. Cain's eyes were caught on William, daring him to try and come at him, to see just what he would do if the bastard tried anything. However, his attention shifted when a conversation decided to arise.

"You are nothing without your scythe, Julius!" One of his superior called. "Alexander made a mistake trusting a useless child with his weapon"

Julius grit his teeth, "Is that what you want?" he yelled through his teeth, still standing in front of the demon protectively, trying hard to calm his irregular breaths. The superiors have been eyeing his scythe ever since it was handed to him by his master.

"Pardon?"

"Alexander's Scythe. If I allow you permission to wield it, will you let us leave?" He regretted every word he spat out. His master's scythe meant everything to him. It was a great weapon that only few could wield, and his master had intrusted it in him before he bowed to his position as a reaper and left the realm. Something no one had dared to do before. Julius snorted at the thought. –I guess I'll be the second…- He never thought he would follow his master's foot steps to this extent. He despised his master after he had left, but now he understood the reason as to why he had unintentionally abandoned him.

'If you love something with all your heart, don't ever hesitate to hold on to it forever.' Julius remembered his master's words which brought tears down from his furious eyes.

-I failed you master…. I'm so sorry…-

"You are willing to give up Alexander's Scythe and your position for that!" It wasn't a question, as his superior practically spat the words at them in disgust, while pointing behind him at the demon.

Julius hesitated for a few seconds, his glare never leaving his superiors. He stood, back straight as he ripped the ropes from around his wrists and nodded confidently as he seemed to almost tower over Cain. "Yes. I allow you complete permission to Alexander's scythe, if you allow us leave." His glare intensified, "And never come after us!" his eyes threatened the now amused superiors.

The elite superior laughed, mocking Julius, "As you wish. From this day forth, you, Julius Sky, will live in the human world, unarmed and free to live an eternity with no responsibility. Go ahead and follow your foolish master's footsteps. I allow you leave" His superior turned to look at William, who stood, tense, glaring at Julius. "Show them out, I wish to never see such disgrace ever again." The superior sat back down on his chair and huffed, "Bring me the scythe" was the last thing Julius heard as he followed the reaper, with the demon close behind him.

A nasty snarl coming from those porcelain lips when the superior decided to insult him. Oh he could have leapt at him then and tore his throat out for being such a presumptuous asshole! He could have, but the hesitation of Julius had him stilled, waiting for what was to unfold, watching Julius's back. There was little he could do as Julius gave up what he had for him, a demon, and they were told to leave.

His master's last memories. His life and job. His purpose. Everything slipped away from him in mere minutes as he gave everything up for the silent demon following behind him as they exited the reaper realm. It was the last time he was going to ever see such a dreadful place again. He was free. So why did he feel so pained?

"You made a huge mistake Julius" Was that sympathy he heard in William's voice? It couldn't possibly be. Julius looked up quickly at the reaper, his eyes never failing to see that second of emotion before it disappeared into the cold look the reaper always played on his face.

Julius huffed and looked down, "It's none of your business. And not like you care anyway."

"Alexander." William began catching Julius' full attention, "He's in France" The reaper turned his back to Julius as he walked back into the reaper realm without another word.

Julius had been searching for his master since he'd left. The superiors tried their best to keep them from meeting, and of all people to guide him, it had to be William. Julius sighed, watching the reaper as he disappeared into nothingness. The night was finally backed to silence. He must've been gone for a while.

Cain did not resist, although he wished he could still rip those others apart, and followed after Julius without a word. Like a dog on a leash. When they were alone, in the dreary silent night, he realized how selfish he had been as he watched Julius. A reaper, was it not that all they had was a title, a job, and their weapon at their side? He had taken it all away from Julius, in one slaughter. Selfishly stripped the man of what he had, solely because he would not let Julius leave him.

Julius looked up, expressionless, watching the silent moon, tears dripping down his cheeks unknowingly. It wasn't until the demon next to him made some sort of movement, taking off his mask that Julius snapped back to reality. He turned his head slowly to glare at the demon. His hand reacted before his brain did as it connected with Cain's face, slapping him, before his knees finally gave out on him and he fell to the ground. Every emotion came at once, over whelming his body and mind as tears flowed like a river from his eyes. He let out a ripping scream, so loud sleeping birds awoke and relocated, flying above them. Julius punched the ground, ignoring the blood seeping from his knuckles, as his head followed right after, his forehead hitting the ground hard. He cried out, sniffling and whimpering, letting out all his anger on the grass below him as his fists connected with the ground a few more times.

Cain reached for the crimson mask, pulling it away from his face. "Master Juli-" he tried to speak, but his return was a harsh hit, the other's hand connecting with his face and effectively silenced him. His cheek stung, but it could not have hurt worse than watching Julius at his feet, beating the ground, crying out so helplessly. Cain slowly sank to his knees, sitting next to him, lightly placing the bloodied mask on the grass.

Julius wanted to die just then. He gave up everything he ever had. Everything that ever held meaning to his infinite life. He hated himself and hated his master for not being by him. He hated the world and wished that it could all just end there and then, as he allowed his helpless body to curl on the floor, his consciousness slipping away.

"I apologize, Master Julius…" was all he could say. There was to be no excuses, no explanations, only his sympathies for the man. He gingerly placed his red-stained hand on Julius's head, fingers running through his dark, messy locks.


	5. Chapter 5

Could it all just have been a dream? A horribly vivid nightmare? He knew the answer to that as the annoying sound of running water woke him up. His body was stiff and his mind empty as he sat up sorely, the bed creaking in the process. He touched his bandage filled chest, and sighed, hiding half his face in his right hand with his elbow resting on his knee. "You really did it this time Julius…" He whispered to himself. Julius looked up in the direction he knew the demon was in. All the demon knew what to do was get angry and wash dishes. Dammit.

Julius stood up, furiously throwing the covers off him to the other side of the room, and walking straight for the distracted demon. He was expressionless as he grabbed hold of Cain's wrist, pushing him roughly to the wall, the demon's hand pinned above his head. Julius stared into the demon's surprised eyes, his own cold and hollow. They stood there for a few second, their eyes challenging one another, before Julius opened his mouth to speak in a low, weak voice. "What are you going to do now, demon?" he purposefully addressed Cain as what he was, coldly. "I am still under your contract, so you can't get away. How are you going to pay for your mistakes?"

A picky habit he supposed as he turned on the water, washing off the blood from his hands before washing what was left of the dishes to put them away, retrieving a simple cloth and wiping at the counter. He wasn't sure what to think now, as he washed away at the imaginary grime on the counter, ensuring its cleanliness. However, he was caught quickly, seized by the wrist and slammed into the wall, roughly pinned there. Cain's eyes stared back at Julius, the man drained of emotion. He was acting cold, and cruel, angry at him…

Julius was hurting himself by being the way he was, and he didn't even know why he was doing this. As if he was possessed, his entire personality took a turn. He wanted to hurt this man. He would never allow anyone else to lay a single finger on this demon, but he himself was thinking up different ways he could hurt this damn idiot for acting before thinking. He could've gotten hurt, and pushed them into a hole that neither of them could ever get out of, and Julius was going to punish him for his actions.

It was well deserved, even if he was rather giving a defiant look back. He could not help but feel that Julius should have expected this. Cain had cracked his façade for him, let him see parts of him no one ever saw, laid down his mask even- his precious cover and wall, broke it down and allowed him to see. He should have expected it, should have known that a demon could be so selfish- so rash. But he was still under contract, this was true… A valid point that could not be disobeyed. Oh, but at this point, he was almost wishing he could break the contract somehow just to knock his head into the wall. But that was obviously not going to happen, no matter how defiantly he may have glared back at Julius.

"What is there left for me to do- Master Julius? I have already taken your life." he replied coolly. The words came out cold, spiteful even. His eyes never leaving Julius', his expression collectively cold.

As if the demon had meant to, he snapped Julius back into his cry baby, rash personality as the ex-reaper's eyes widened in anger, gritting his teeth. His free hand went up to Cain's throat, chocking him, "Don't call me that damn it, you stupid demon!" Julius yelled into Cain's face as he pushed him to the floor by his neck. His knees were just below the demon's armpits as he pinned him down, still chocking him. Their faces were inches away from each other, Julius' tears of frustration dripping down Cain's cheeks as if the demon himself was crying. He hated that damn cold expression. He wanted to rip it off the demon's face. "You bastard…" Julius whispered through his teeth, as he ripped Cain's shirt off his body with a swift motion of his free hand. Said hand crept down into the demon's pants, grasping his sensitive organ roughly. Not allowing the demon to breath, Julius crushed his own lips to Cain's, forcing all his anger on him. Forcing himself on him, as if that was going to solve anything.

He had struck quite the nerve it seemed, as the other clenched his throat, immediately cutting off any air as he forced him to the ground. Cain grasping at Julius's wrist, unable to draw breathe as he screamed into his face. He couldn't honestly fight back, he couldn't go against him. It was just how it worked- but that didn't mean he didn't need to breathe. The force of the other's hand crushing his windpipe, though he refused to struggle for air or choke. He stared up at the other, still as Julius tore off his shirt and roughly went for his groin, his hand grasped tighter on Julius's wrist as he crushed their lips together, forcing a kiss from him, dragging out the lack of air for what seemed so many long minutes.

Julius finally let go of the demon's throat, getting off him, and sitting beside his head. He grabbed hold of the flowing purple hair, pulling the demon towards his groin. "Make your 'master' happy, you useless piece of shit" he spat out the word 'master' like acid.

He, however, was let free, at least momentarily. Cain drew in a greedy deep breath, struggling down the urge to pant as his sore throat felt rasp and dry. The soft color of his neck discoloured red from the rough abuse. However, the freedom was not long lived, as Julius grabbed a fist full of his hair close to the roots, pulling him over forcefully towards his groin. Cain winced at the hair pulling, feeling as if he was going to tear his scalp off, and so he complied, forcing himself to roll over so he would not be dragged and came closer.

His eyes, glared up at Julius, as the other spat cruel words down at him. He knew what he was gesturing- ordering him to suck him off like he was a lowly whore. An order, sadly, was an order… even if he did not say it directly. He closed his eyes, unwilling certainly, but that was not his choice. "If that is what you wish…" he spoke, the words were forced, like a true servant he would do as he was told. Cain unbuttoned Julius's pants, eyes unwilling to look up at the infuriated man.

Julius couldn't believe that Cain would actually go through with his orders. He needed him to struggle. He needed Cain to hurt him; punch him; do something, just as much as he wanted to hurt the demon. Julius grit his teeth at the obedient servant and pulled his head back up using the hair he grasped so roughly. Julius glared at Cain, as he forced his index finger and his middle finger into his mouth and down his throat choking him further. "You dirty whore…" Julius spat. Just then, he remembered something.

What could he do other than take the abuse as it came? There was nothing he could do to stop it without going against the man. The hair pulling was getting old, and more painful the more he yanked, his grasp as tight as ever on his long silky locks. He gagged on the fingers as they were shoved down his throat, the horrible feeling of the digits blocking his airway, digging as deep as they could. Body naturally wishing to purge the substance from his airway as he choked. It brought tears to his eyes that stung harshly, but he forced them back.

'I assure you it shall never happen. It is the one thing I am proud of.' Cain's voice echoed in his head. "One thing you're proud of, huh?" Julius took his fingers out of the demon's mouth, watching him gasp for air as he stood up, dragging the demon along with him still by his hair, looking for something sharp. He'd finally found scissors, as he swiftly, without hesitation, and messily cut through the purple hair he'd been pulling on for a few minutes. He threw the rest of the shocked demon's hair out of his hand, looking up at him.

He couldn't quite grasp what the other was on about after the whore comment, being dragged on the floor by his hair as he coughed and gasped, searching for proper air. His eyes widened when he saw the scissors, uncertain if Julius was going to drive the blades into his skin or something worse. He, however, found his answer as his hair was pulled and then suddenly cut, the strands that had him captured suddenly let him loose as they were severed. He staggered a little, the short strands of hair falling from behind his ears and hanging in front of his face.

He nearly didn't understand the sensation at first, the light feeling. He hesitantly reached up fingers sheepishly touching the short strands of hair. The expression on his face, filled with shock and horror, eyes wide and watery as he laced his fingers through his hair. It… it was gone… Just like that all his hair was on the floor before him. His chest felt tight, his vision blurred as he took a dizzied step back. He could not believe that it was gone- that Julius had done that!

Julius' eyes widened as he'd realised what he had just done. Cain's hair was angled, some strands shorter than the others, but most of it was just below his ears.

Julius dropped the scissors and hurried over to the still shocked demon, "Oh god Cain, what have I done… I'm so sorry!" He grabbed hold of the demon's face as gently as he could as the words came out in a rush, finally snapping out of what anger spell he was on. He felt stupid and extremely bipolar as his actions made the least of sense.

The shock was numbing, but soon let up to a frantic feeling, breath becoming just a bit ragged, realizing just exactly what had been done. Julius had cut off his hair! He couldn't bring himself to look away from the abandoned strands on the floor, even as Julius came up to him, gingerly taking his face into his hands. Cain looked completely taken aback, filled with too many emotions to pinpoint and probably looked like he could pass out from the unexpected attack.

Devastation. It was the only word that could possibly describe these feelings wrapped up tight in his aching throat. His eyes finally lifted from the ground scowling strait at Julius, his fists curling extremely tight as he stood there. God if he was angry before, then right now he must have been livid- extremely pissed off. He pulled his arm back, fist tight, ready to punch the man right into the next life. But his fist stayed, teeth ground tight, muscles tense. He wanted to punch him, wanted to beat him into a Julius soup and tear him apart. But he could not.

He released his fist, tearing himself away from Julius' tender grip. He could not decide what to do, what to punch, what to rip apart for the sake of being unable to kill Julius. He looked as if he was about to go mad, and quite insane he did turn. He thrashed the chair aside, breaking it against the bedside table, knocking the glass vase over as it shattered.

"I believe it is quite painfully obvious what you have done!" his voice boomed- for someone quite usually quiet, he certainly had a vicious set of vocals. He ran his hand over his heated face, boiling with intense scorn. "Congratulations- I sincerely hope you are happy that you have destroyed the last few shreds of dignity I had left." he spoke, retrieving his ripped shirt angrily and uselessly pulling it on. His eyes blurred over with tears that he refused to let loose as he stormed his way through, retrieving his cracked mask.

Julius had proven just how much of a lowly demon Cain was, tore away any ounce of dignity he had left, which was not much. And left him with nothing but horrid shame and the deep feeling of betrayal. He had regretted harming Julius, having the man give up his life for him. But he did not do that intentionally, and he had been willing to make up for it. But this was too much. Ordered to do such disgusting things and the last thing he could call his own and could be prideful of was now laying in a messy heap on the floor.

He needed to get away from Julius, even if just for an hour, so he wouldn't end up doing something he regretted even more than the things he had done already. He was a mess of raging emotions that he could not sincerely keep under control. He couldn't escape from Julius, that was a fact he perhaps could have lived with this morning, but now he felt completely and helplessly trapped… which did nothing to aid his destructive emotions.

Julius slowly followed right after Cain as he took drunken steps towards the bedroom. He winced at the thrown chair and grit his teeth. Julius wanted to punch himself inwards. He loved Cain's hair, and he felt like a damn hypocrite for cutting it as he was the one who threatened Cain's life if he ever cut that beautiful hair. Julius could see how pained Cain was, going near insanity as he searched desperately for something that wasn't there. Julius was so selfishly blinded by his own regrets and pains that he had intentionally taken away everything that the demon held dear to him. Julius hurriedly grabbed on to Cain's wrists ignoring the man's struggle and looked him in the eyes. Tears. It was the second time he'd seen them from the demon and both had left his heart broken as Cain cried in frustration.

He was caught in middle of his attempt to storm out, grabbed by the wrists and restrained. He tried to jerk away, but it seemed Julius was not going to let him go. "Release me!" He yelled, trying to pull away from him. Cain slowly stopped struggling, glaring at the floor, finding that it was useless to keep fighting if he could not get away without lashing out at Julius. Although perhaps rather still, he was still trembling with rage and hurt.

What was he thinking? Regret? Was Julius really regretting giving up everything just so he could be with Cain? He wouldn't have given up everything he ever owned for this man if he hadn't loved him. He loved Cain so much. He adored this crying, furious mess before him, and he just wanted to pretend as if nothing was wrong and go back to cuddling together like they had been before. His eyes stung, tears threatening to leave them, but he swallowed them back. He couldn't show Cain how sorry he was, but he could show him how much he loved him. Julius leaned closer to Cain's face and softly touched his own lips to Cain's quivering ones until the demon had calmed down a little. Julius let go of his wrists and grabbed hold of his face once more, deepening the kiss, pushing them onto the bed. He broke the kiss only to search for the man's eyes with his lips, tenderly kissing Cain's right eye, tracing his scar. "Please don't cry…" Julius pleaded his lips still on the man's lid. "This is entirely my fault." he began, letting his forehead rest on the pillow next to Cain's head, while having déjà vu of the night before he was kidnapped. "I shouldn't have dragged you down with me. It's all my fault" He continued blaming himself as he smoothed the side of Cain's face a few times, trying hard to soothe the pained demon. "I love you so much Cain. I'm so sorry" Julius whispered into Cain's ear.

Cain looked up, a dangerous look in his eyes as the other moved closer to him, face not even an inch away. Despite looking like he would bite the other's face off, Julius decided to kiss him anyways, tenderly pressing their lips together. The tender warm feeling coming back to his lips, reminiscing the warmth of their past passions. Reluctantly, he eased up, gaining his freedom as the other let go of his wrists. Free from his grasp, yet he did not bother to move as Julius took his lips into a deeper kiss, his hands warm against his skin.

Such warmth after the cold brutal actions towards him. Unheard of. The tears fell from his lashes as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall back on the bed. He lightly wrapped his arms around Julius, dispelling his anger by force. Allowing Julius to lightly place his lips on his scar.

"Do not blame yourself…" he responded. Oh the hypocrisy in that sentence, not that one could tell, thankfully. He opened his eyes, lightly turning his head and gazing at the distressed man with a drained expression. Damn, emotions were severely irritating and draining. A sigh escape from his lips, forcing the emotions down back to where they were supposed to stay. But the over whelming loss still ached in the back of his mind.

He lightly ran a hand down Julius's bandaged back. Now that he wasn't blind with rage, he finally felt just how sore his throat was from the assault. Not that he could not deal with the bit of pain after striping the man of his life… He was sympathetic, overly so, because he quite knew the feeling of such a loss himself.

"I am sorry that I was the one to bring you down with me… I did not intend to let things get so… out of hand. I overreacted when I realized that they had stolen you from me- However…" He lifted Julius's chin so that he would look at him and not suffocate himself in the pillow. "The next time you decide to punish me, stay away from the scissors…" brave of him to be joking about that so early. It still stung- a lot. Immensely so. But he reasoned he would have to let it go, even if he did not want to.

Julius stared down at Cain and couldn't help a chuckle or the tears that came right after. His pain was yet to fade, but he felt a little relieved that Cain was actually capable of humour in such a situation. "We're the weirdest couple" his laughing echoed through the room as he placed his head on the demon's chest, his hands reaching up to touch the man's hair by instinct. He frowned at his idiocy, but still played with the man's hair nevertheless. "There won't be a next time" He promised. He knew he was going to get mad at the demon, the fighting between the two was something inevitable it seemed, but he wasn't going to let something like this ever happen again.

The ex-reaper closed his eyes and listened to the demon's steady heartbeat, something that always seemed to calm him. He suddenly remembered something as a chuckle escaped his lips, alarming the demon. "I found out something about you when you fell asleep on my chest" he spoke quietly, almost falling asleep, "You speak in your sleep. It's very cute…. I… really…." What was he going to say? Julius had over exhausted his mind and body these past few days. He'd never felt so tired in his life. But then again it was a different kind of exhaustion he realised as he slowly lost consciousness. Ah. This must be what they call peace. Something he could get used to. He wanted to say something though. Something he became used to saying before falling asleep each time. What was it? Why couldn't he recall it?

'I love you'

Ah. There we go. Julius hoped the demon heard him. He wasn't even sure he'd said it out loud. But it allowed him a peace of mind, until another thought invaded his tired mind. He finally realised that Cain had never once said the words back to him. Cain had never said he loved Julius, not once, not ever. But… why…. It was getting cold. No, it became warm again. He could feel movement. His head was being petted. He wished he could stay like this forever.

Forever…

-So… tired…-

Couple…Yes, he supposed that was what they were. A couple. He lightly gazed at the other as he shifted and cuddled into his chest, promising there would be no other next time. Oh, he doubted that. He found himself to be quite the irritating person at times; it was a wonder how some people dealt with his strange distant behaviour. It seemed in the midst of falling asleep, Julius remembered something, a bark of laughter escaping his lips. Revealing that he talked in his sleep at times… ah yes… That little embarrassing and worrisome detail. Julius slowly trailed off in his sentence, falling asleep on his chest.

He slowly reached over, pulling the messy sheets over them despite the fact they were still clothed and tucking the sheets neatly around Julius as he encircled his arm around him and gingerly began to stroke his hair. For a long while, he laid there, staring up at the ceiling in the dark, lightly caressing the other absentmindedly. His mind would not lay at rest, bothered and unwilling to let him sleep. At some point, however, he did manage to fall asleep. The traces of a dream corrupting his usually rather empty sleeps.

Julius… He could make out his form in his hazy dream. The background soft and inviting as the man stood beyond him. A sweet dream, as he took the other into his arms- or not. Julius' form shifted into that of a larger, daunting form, the world growing dark as green glowing slits of eyes stared down at him, a long thrashing tail sweeping him up and suffocating him. Only in times of dreams did he find himself capable of muttering while he slept.

When he did awaken, it was slow and fuzzy, the bright light from the unfixed hole in the wall filtering down on them. He saw a face and instinctively flipped out, flailing uncharacteristically and fighting the covers as he hit the floor with a loud thud, kinking his neck in the process.

"Shit." the profanity flew from his lips as he kicked the sheet away from him, trying to sit up. Was it morning already? He lightly rubbed his neck, realizing he felt a bit clammy. Remembering that god-awful dream that had collapsed into a torturous nightmare. He cringed at the memory.

'Julius' a familiar voice echoed, 'Come find me one day, and when you do, I want-' Want… Want? Want to what? What is it? Why didn't he finish his sentence? Master…

A shiver had woken Julius up as he opened his eyes slowly and stared at the tossing body beneath him. Was he having a nightmare? The demon finally opened his eyes and as he saw Julius' confused face looking at him he reacted sudden. Julius groaned at the sudden noise and movement, forcing himself to sit up, as he rubbed at his eye while yawning. "So noisy…" Julius teased looking down at Cain who'd fallen out of bed, "What's your problem? Is my face that hideous?" He yawned once more before getting out of bed, scratching the back of his head. "What a horrible way to wake up" he stepped over the demon and walked towards the kitchen, "I'm so hungry~" he lied. Not like a reaper- or ex-reaper in his case- could ever actually feel hunger. But Julius just wanted an excuse to watch Cain move about. He chuckled at his strange thoughts.

Cain stared at Julius for a few moments as the man got out of bed and stepped over him. He simply fell back and collapsed back on the floor with a soft "uhn,". Horrible way to wake up, he was telling him. Jeez… He supposed he was having a lot more 'dreams' as of late. Maybe it had to do something with Julius and his inevitable power to unknowingly screw with his emotions. Cain sighed and lightly turned his head, watching Julius head towards the kitchen.

Instead of immediately getting up, he laid there for a few long moments. Slowly adjusting to the memory of last night's incident, as well as the strange nightmare that had occurred. Strange considering he hadn't had a nightmare in so many years. But usually bad things happened after he received any sort of nightmare. Wonderful…

Cain slowly picked himself up off the floor, briefly rubbing his aching neck before going to button his open shirt- only then realizing it was a mess. He sighed. Really? He shrugged the shirt off, feeling the fabric tickle at the soft risen scar on his back, making a shiver run down his spine.

"I can cook you something to eat." he finally motioned, offering to make him some food out of whatever he had left of the raw materials. Which wasn't much, just eggs and potatoes… not the most intricate meal could be made out of it.

Julius looked around the small kitchen, rubbing the back of his head. They really needed to go out and get some food… And leave this place altogether really… Ugh, but with what money…?

"What a horrible morning…" Julius sighed annoyed at his own thoughts, then turned to look towards the bed room. Cain was taking an awful amount of time to get off his ass. Julius moved the curtain away, which separated the kitchen and bedroom from each other, and stared at the demon who still lay on the floor, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. They looked so hollow... If only Julius had a way to get into the demon's head. He never knew what the demon was always so distracted about and it pissed him off. Julius grit his teeth, watching the demon rub at his sore neck and take of his ripped shirt. His eyes then went up to his still uneven purple hair. If the damn demon keeps this appearance up, Julius was going to go insane with guilt.

Julius ignored the man speaking to him, while going back into the kitchen. He retrieved the scissors from the night before which lay on top of abandoned purple hair. "Keh" was all he uttered at his mistakes, as he walked into the bedroom, heading towards the demon with the scissors in hand.

Finally up, it only proved to be that perhaps he should have stayed down on the floor as Julius came towards him with scissors in his hand. Oh god, not scissors! Cain pointed a finger at him accusingly, "No. No no no no no. You are not going near me with those." he said, backing away from Julius. He did not trust this one with scissors, and was not going to let him clean up the mess he made. Hell no! If he believed he was going to let Julius cut his hair again, he was terribly mistaken.

He didn't trust anyone with his hair but himself, and he especially did not trust Julius. Sure, he guessed the other just wanted to fix his poor hair, but he didn't even know if the man was capable of a proper haircut! He had chopped it pretty badly enough the first time, he was not going to allow a second time and be left with some sort of super short mess!

"I will fix it myself later!" he argued, but he was pretty much cornered- not that he wasn't going to run and avoiding Julius if he had to. Julius plus Scissors summed up to a horrible tragedy. It wasn't going to happen.

Julius blinked at the horrified man, and couldn't help a chuckle. He rubbed the back of his head nervously, "I know you probably don't trust me with your hair right now…" He looked at the demon's amusing expression and smiled. He was glad the demon could show him so much emotion unlike before when his face was statued with coldness. "…But, I'm actually really good with these things, believe it or not" he cornered the demon. He was going to fix his own mess. He'd hurt Cain enough.

Julius inched closer to the man's face, scissors hidden behind his back, as he petted the man's hair gently. "I won't hurt you anymore…" Their foreheads touched, "Please trust me." His voice came out as a soft, yet confident whisper. He was glad to see that his body was finally growing to match his lover's height. The demon's body wasn't growing anymore it seemed, but Julius still had some growth hormones left in him somehow. He stood tall, full with confidence and grace, staring the demon down. He wanted to do everything for this one. Anything to make him happy. Anything to bring a smile to his face, which he hadn't seen yet. Julius frowned at the thought. It was true. He'd seen the man smirk in amusement before, but he'd never seen a genuine smile ever. It annoyed him a little. It was another thing to add to his list. Making Cain smile.

Probably? Make that definitely. There was no trust with those scissors, no matter what he said to reassure him. He dropped the run tactic when the other got really close, his back touching the wall and Julius especially close to him, slowly inching towards him as if he were a skiddish cat ready to dodge and run. Which he quite was. As their foreheads touched, and he told him to trust him, he did not move. Running was not the option as he stared almost emptily back at Julius.

The two stood there, Cain, cornered against a wall, and Julius over him, breathing warmth onto the other's face. He waited for a response from the still demon. Dammit. He was distracted again. Julius grit his teeth in frustration. What the hell was the demon always so distracted about?! Why wouldn't he just tell Julius?! He needed to know! It pissed him off. Julius threw the scissors on the bed, never leaving the demon's hallow eyes, as his fist rose above the demon's head and connected with the wall hard enough to flinch the demon back from dreamland, but not to make a hole in the wall. "What the hell are you thinking about all the time?" Julius' voice came out raspier than he intended, but it just showed how much it pissed him off. Even though his voice was harsh, he tried to sound as calm as possible. They were really good at arguing and fighting, weren't they?

He was jarred roughly from his thoughts when the other punched the wall, forcing him back to reality. Cain shifted his gaze from Julius before quickly ducking under his arms and evading him. "It is not relevant." he commented, obviously not going to willingly share the information. Pfft, like he would. He was probably one of the most secretive and stubborn people you would meet. But then, a lot of demons were the same, weren't they? Secretive, charming, usually well kept. If you were ever lucky to meet more than one in your lifetime, they always seemed quite the same.

"For your sake, I ask that you do not pry." he added in a reserved manner.

Julius didn't turn around to look at the demon right away after he'd managed to get away. His chest was in a knot and he felt like being violent. How could this man make him feel so frustrated and stressed all the time? He felt angry and hurt. Did his lover not trust him enough to simply tell him what was on his mind? Did he not trust him enough to allow him to redeem himself? Did he… not trust him enough to say he loved him? Julius' fist slowly slid down the wall and to his side. He glared down at the floor, swallowing back tears of anger. All Julius ever thought of was Cain. How to make Cain happy. How to make himself a better man for Cain. How much he loved Cain. How beautiful Cain was. Everything he'd done… everything he'd given up… was for Cain. He felt hopeless and trapped. Was Cain playing him? Did he even care? He was a demon after all…

Julius sorely turned around not looking at the demon. He didn't want to look at him. He didn't want to know the possible truth that the demon was only toying with him. Only forced to cooperate because of that damned contract. He grit his teeth, not daring to look up. He'd slept with him… Multiple times… Was the demon that low…? Dammit, why was Julius so insecure! So frustrating…

Julius headed straight for the bathroom. Passing Cain while heading there made his heart stop for a second as tears finally escaped his eyes. His body began trembling. How could Julius be so damn weak…? He'd never cried so much in his life. Actually he doesn't remember crying ever, before meeting Cain. "I'm taking a bath…" He said weakly, inches away from the bathroom door, reaching for the knob.

Damnit... why did it seem he always did everything wrong... He'd never screwed up this much before. He wasn't sure what to do as the other seemed to start breaking down again. It was becoming a common cycle and he did not know how to stop it... God Fucking dammit! He was angry at himself for letting this happen, again. It seemed all he ever did was hurt the poor man, again and again.

He let out a large breath of air before quickly stopping Julius, lightly grabbing him by the hand and pulling him back into a hug before the other could enter the bathroom and lock him out- he knew that move, it was all too familiar. And he did not want to have to break a door down just to get to him.

"Please be patient with me..." he spoke. "It has been a great while since I have last been through this... My last experience did not end well..." so that was what he had been caught on these past days. Perhaps this long past love he spoke of now. A very long past love at that, so it was irrelevant now. It wouldn't change anything to bring it up, of course. Which is why he didn't. But it seemed it would at least ease Julius' heart if he did. And if that was all it could do besides hurt him, than he supposed it was worth it...

Julius allowed himself to melt into Cain's embrace, hiding his face in the man's strong shoulder. Be patient…? Hm. Maybe that was what he was supposed to do. He was never good at that. It was another thing to add to his horrible personality. Even so… He wanted Cain to tell him everything. And he wanted to tell the demon everything about him too. He wanted to lay down his life out for him. Everything for him. He wanted to crush those damn boundaries between them. An idea suddenly came to mind. The demon was tied to the contract. He was to do everything he was order by his master.

By… Julius…

Orders…

"Cain…" Julius began without looking up, speaking into the man's bare shoulder, his lips softly grazing his skin as he did so. "Let's have a bath… together…" the words came out slowly. No. How could he possible force the information out of him? He couldn't order the man to tell him against his will. He couldn't do that. Not to Cain. Not to the idiot he loved so much. It wasn't that he didn't care that the demon didn't love him back, but he just wanted to forget about that. He just wanted to stay by his side as long as it took. He didn't want to pressure him anymore. He didn't want to force himself on his lover anymore. He just wanted to see his face and exist together. A simple bath wouldn't do any harm… right?

"A bath?" he repeated as if it was a strange offer. "Well, I suppose we need one, do we not?" he smirked a little. They had slept together more than once and neither of them had bathed yet. "I will let you cut my hair if you promise to make it proper~" he added. "Just don't make it too short." he as well mentioned as he opened the bathroom door. The bathroom wasn't very big, just enough for the necessities, and untouched by their wrath...

Julius looked up at Cain, shocked. He'd let him cut his hair! Colour rose to his cheeks and his heart raced in his chest. He pouted, staring a hole into the floor as he followed Cain into the bathroom. How could he be so happy over something so small? Pathetic. "Tch…" he still didn't dare look up, afraid to show Cain his embarrassing red face, "I already said I'm good at it…" he grumbled childishly. Warm evaporation filled up the small bathroom as the hot water was turned on. Pants fell to the floor, catching Julius' attention. The demon was undressing for the bath, it was something completely normal. He'd seen his fully naked body before, so why was his heart racing so quickly? Why did he feel so suffocatingly hot? He watched the oblivious demon, hoping not to get caught. He was so beautiful. His strong shoulders, his wide, firm chest. His muscles… everywhere… His hips and… his… Julius flushed deep crimson and looked away quickly. What was he doing…?

It was so adorable that he was all pouty that he was good at cutting hair. It made him want to squish his rosey cheeks together. Cain turned on the water, ensuring it was nice and hot, the steam easily starting to warm the bathroom. He wasn't shy, or hesitant, as he undid his pants, dropping them and lightly stepping out of them. He didn't leave them there in a mess, it had become a habit to keep clean as he folded them and laid them over the sink.

Julius shook his head and stomped over towards the tub, avoiding eye contact, and shrugged off his clothes. He swiftly got into the warm bath, sighing from the sensation and waited for the amused demon to get in as well.

He looked up when Julius quickly went over to the tub, stripping down just as quick and getting into the tub. He stared at him for a moment, finding he was a little red in the face. Oh? He chuckled a little, closing the bathroom door to keep the nice warm air locked in the bathroom- he hated stepping out of a nice hot bath and getting hit with cold air. "You really are adorable." he said as he got into the tub, settling himself right behind Julius, reaching over him for the soap and washcloth, lathering it up and running the soapy, slick cloth over Julius's shoulders and chest, intending to wash him all over. And all over he would wash him.

Cain dragged the cloth down his arm briefly before down his chest, quite intentionally brushing it over his nipples while making it seem like an innocent motion. Oh no, not innocent at all. Cain smiled, he loved to tease~

Julius flinched then statued himself. He couldn't move at all as the man he loved washed his body for him. Could this damn bathroom get any hotter?! He felt dizzy, as his body shivered from the mixed sensations of the calming warm water and the demon's gentle touches. He also felt some strange coldness itching from beneath his skin. His vision began to become hazy, consciousness slowly slipping away. What the hell was going on? Why was he getting so light headed? Was this normal? He'd planned to not do anything… sexual with the demon anymore, trying hard not to force himself on him, and yet here was the demon, teasing him intentionally, making it even harder to hold himself back. His head hurt. His body was so hot, and his member was raging with excitement. Oh no… What was he going to do..? No. He couldn't do anything to Cain. He wouldn't!

Julius turned his body around in the small tub, not making eye contact with the demon as he snatched the cloth from his hands, "I…" he began, his voice weak. He was breathing heavily as if he'd ran a marathon. "I…can wash myself…". What was going on? Were his eyes closed? He didn't remember closing them. Did the power cut? Something was off. "I... can't see" the words came out one at a time, and not very clearly. His face was burning, but he felt cold. He couldn't breathe. Was that water against his face? Shouting? Cain's voice sounded worried… Was Cain hurt…? Julius hoped not. He hoped Cain was alright. What was this feeling? His body felt so light, so weak. Was this what death felt like?

Ah. Damn. He really wanted to see Cain's smile before he died. He wanted to hear those three words from him so badly. How cruel…

Well, that was a surprise. Cain let the other take the cloth as it was stolen from him. But then something was strange... He was acting as if he was already doing something strenious- they hadn't even done anything yet! The moment he said he couldn't see, he knew something was horribly wrong and barely had the time to catch the poor guy before he pretty much slumped over into the water.

"Julius!" Cain quickly grabbed him by the arms, pulling him up from the water and grabbing him, pulling him out of the hot water, nearly slipping from the quick and frantic motions, laying the man down on the floor. "Julius!? Wake up!" He called, sitting over him on all fours, water dripping from his body, creating a large puddle on the floor. "Julius!?" he called again, getting no response. Shit! What was he supposed to do!? He wasn't even sure what happened, he just fainted! Was it the heat, or maybe something he'd done... oh god please let it just be the heat. He quickly got up, finding a cloth and running it under cold water, placing that on his forehead and hoping he would come to soon.

"Please be okay..." he begged in a whisper, taking Julius's hand in his own and squeezing it tight, sitting beside him.


End file.
